Bellinzona Snakes vs Visp

The match was effectively decided inside the first period. Visp struck after just two minutes when M. Romanenghi opened the scoring, assisted by N. Lehmann and J. Marchon. S. Patry doubled the lead at 10 minutes (assisted by P. Perrenoud and N. Meile), and J. Nilsson made it 3-0 at 17 minutes with Patry providing the assist.

Visp continued their onslaught in the second period. N. Meile scored at two minutes (assist: J. Marchon) to make it 4-0 before Bellinzona finally responded. D. Schwenninger pulled one back for the Snakes at 15 minutes (assist: J. De Luca), but P. Perrenoud restored Visp's four-goal cushion at 19 minutes (assist: S. Patry), sending the visitors into the second intermission up 5-1.

The third period began encouragingly for Bellinzona when B. Bonvin scored at two minutes (assists: E. Bernazzi, Q. Delmas) to cut the deficit to 5-2. But A. Ritz capped the scoring for Visp at 19 minutes (assist: Y. Bruschweiler), sealing the 6-2 final score. No penalties were recorded in the match.

Visp's opening salvo. Three goals in the first 17 minutes — including one inside the opening two minutes — set a tone Bellinzona never recovered from. The Snakes conceded four goals before they found an answer through Schwenninger midway through the second period, by which point the game was already out of reach.

• S. Patry (Visp) — A goal and two assists, involved in three of Visp's six goals. Central to everything Visp created offensively.
• M. Romanenghi (Visp) — Scored the opener inside two minutes, setting the early tone.
• N. Meile (Visp) — A goal and an assist across the first two periods.
• D. Schwenninger (Bellinzona Snakes) — Scored Bellinzona's first goal and briefly gave the home side a foothold in the second period.

Player of the Match: S. Patry (Visp) — 1 goal, 2 assists.

Visp's 6-2 victory tells a story of first-period efficiency. Three goals in the opening 17 minutes from three different scorers showed Visp's attacking depth. According to a Pomona.ch report, half of Visp's goals came from new signings — a promising sign for a Visp side that finished third in the Sky Swiss League in 2025/26 (93 points from 50 games) and will be targeting promotion contention this season. Bellinzona finished 10th (34 points), and the H2H record now stands at 41 Visp wins to 7 for Bellinzona from 48 meetings since 2016 — an 85.4% win rate for Visp that underlines the tier gap.

This was Visp's first pre-season friendly of 2026/27. They have five more tests: at home against HC La Chaux-de-Fonds (18 August), HC Ambri-Piotta (21 August), Concordia University Canada (29 August), Chamonix France (4 September), and HC Sierre (11 September). Bellinzona faced HC Ambri-Piotta the very next day (14 August), losing 2-1 in overtime. The Sky Swiss League regular season begins in mid-September for both sides.

A straightforward pre-season win for Visp, who showed superior class from the first puck drop. The three-goal first period rendered the rest academic. For Visp, half the goals scored by new signings is the most encouraging takeaway as they build toward the regular season.