Club Friendly· Season 2026
Biel beat Ajoie 6-5 on penalties in Champery after Ajoie mounted a stunning 4-0 comeback. Hofer's late equaliser forced OT.
Match Analysis
AI SummaryHow It Unfolded
Biel came flying out of the blocks. Yanik Sablatnig opened the scoring at 11' of the first period from a Jerome Bartschi feed, and Mike Sever doubled the lead at 16' to make it 2-0 after 20 minutes.
The Seelanders kept their foot down early in the second. Jerome Neuenschwander (assist: Viktor Soderstrom) and Dario Trutmann at 1' of the period stretched the lead to 4-0 inside 21 minutes of play.
Ajoie finally responded. Colin Cormier pulled one back at 14' of the second (assist: Deniss Smirnovs), and Konsta Tanus added a second at 17' — assists from Patrick Devos — to cut the deficit to 4-2 at the second intermission.
Whatever head coach Julien Vauclair told his Ajoie side between periods worked. Tanus struck again at 10' of the third (assist: Jarkko Nattinen), Jason Wick equalised at 11', and Patrick Devos completed the turnaround at 13' — three goals in 3:06 to give Ajoie a 5-4 lead.
Biel refused to fold. With 19' on the clock in the third period, Filip Hofer found the net to make it 5-5 and force overtime. Neither side could break the deadlock in extra time, sending the game to a shootout, which Biel won 2-1.
The Turning Point
Ajoie's 4-0 deficit after Biel's second-period blitz looked terminal. Instead, the Jurassiens scored five consecutive goals — Tanus with a brace, Cormier, Wick and Devos all finding the net — flipping the scoreboard completely. The 3:06 spell in the third period that turned 4-2 into 5-4 Ajoie was the most electric phase of the night. Had Hofer not equalised at 19', this would have been one of the great pre-season comebacks.
Key Performers
Konsta Tanus (Ajoie) — Two goals in the second and third periods, the catalyst of Ajoie's revival. The Finnish forward looked sharp in his first outing of pre-season.
Filip Hofer (Biel) — Scored the crucial late equaliser with one minute left in regulation to save Biel from defeat.
Patrick Devos (Ajoie) — A goal and an assist, including the go-ahead goal at 13' of the third period that briefly gave Ajoie the lead.
Colin Cormier (Ajoie) — Opened Ajoie's account in the second period and sparked the fightback from 4-0 down.
Player of the match: Konsta Tanus (Ajoie)
By the Numbers — Interpreted
The period scores (P1: 2-0 Biel, P2: 2-2, P3: 1-3, OT: 0-0) tell the full story of a game of two distinct phases. Biel's 4-0 lead inside 21 minutes reflected sharp finishing and clinical early execution typical of a team further along in its pre-season conditioning. Ajoie's response — five consecutive goals across 16 minutes of play from mid-second to late-third period — points to a side that found its rhythm as the game wore on. The 2-1 shootout scoreline underlines how evenly matched the sides were once the comeback was complete.
No penalties were recorded in the game, unusual for a pre-season friendly, suggesting both sides prioritised disciplined skating over physical confrontation in their opening warm-up fixture.
What It Means
Both Swiss National League sides are in the early stages of pre-season. Biel described the fixture as "a test after an intensive week" (via Instagram), closing their training camp in Champery. Ajoie's official website called it "a fine first outing despite the shootout defeat," noting it was their first appearance of the 2026/27 preparation phase.
Biel next face HC Ajoie again in the upcoming season — their first competitive National League meeting is yet to be scheduled. Ajoie continue their pre-season programme against Dragons de Rouen on Monday 17 August at Patinoire d'Yverdon (20:15 local time).
Verdict
A thrilling pre-season curtain-raiser that had everything: a 4-0 lead, a five-goal comeback, a last-minute equaliser and a shootout. Biel won the game on the scoresheet, but Ajoie won plenty of admirers with their resilience. Pre-season form means little in the standings, but the character shown by both sides bodes well for the National League campaign ahead.
Match Events
Biel and Ajoie have met 26 times — Biel won 19, Ajoie won 7, with 0 draws. Their rivalry dates back to 2015. Biel leads the head-to-head with 19 victories from 26 meetings. A combined 162 goals have been scored across these fixtures, averaging 6.23 per match (100 for the home side, 62 for the visitors). Both teams scored in 22 matches (85%). Over 2.5 goals landed in 26 games (100%), making it a fixture that tends to produce goals. Biel are currently unbeaten in the last 4 meetings. The highest-scoring encounter finished 6–5 in 2023.
Statistics are for informational purposes only. Past performance does not guarantee future results.
API data: 15 Aug 2026