Club Friendly· Season 2026
Olten came from 3-0 down inside 11 minutes to beat Sierre 4-3 in a pre-season friendly, powered by a Mattheo Reinhard brace and a five-minute major penalty.
Match Analysis
AI SummaryHow it unfolded
Sierre needed only 150 seconds to stun the home crowd. Emils Veckaktins opened the scoring at 9' with help from N. Mansueto. Noah Berthoud made it 2-0 at 10', and Arnaud Montandon — assisted by M. Montandon — pushed the lead to 3-0 at 11'. Olten had not registered a shot on goal.
Olten steadied late in the first. With J. Elsener providing the helper, Reinhard buried a power-play goal at 19' to cut the deficit to 3-1 at the first break.
The second period was a different contest. Devin Stehli, set up by Reinhard, wired home at 28' (P2, 8') to bring Olten within one. The match grew physical, and Sierre forward Darels Dukurs was ejected on a five-minute major for cross-checking Leo Braillard at the midway point.
Olten made Sierre pay immediately. Dominic Weder pounced at 32' (P2, 12') to level the scores. Just 15 seconds later, Reinhard notched his second of the night — fed by Braillard — to put Olten 4-3 ahead at 33' (P2, 13').
The third period saw neither side score as Olten managed the game and protected their lead to the final horn.
The turning point
Dukurs' five-minute major for cross-checking flipped the match. Sierre had weathered Olten's pushback to that point, but the extended power-play — plus additional Sierre minors that briefly gave Olten a two-man advantage — allowed the hosts to score twice in 15 seconds and turn a 2-3 deficit into a 4-3 lead they never relinquished.
Key performers
- Mattheo Reinhard (Olten) — Two goals (19', 33') and one assist on Stehli's strike. Power-play presence and the catalyst of the comeback. Player of the match.
- Devin Stehli (Olten) — Scored the crucial 2-3 goal at 28' that gave Olten belief and put Sierre on the back foot.
- Dominic Weder (Olten) — Tied the game at 3-3 with his second-period strike, capitalising on the major penalty.
- Emils Veckaktins (Sierre) — Scored the opener and was dangerous early, but Sierre could not sustain their first-period intensity.
By the numbers — interpreted
Olten erased a three-goal deficit in a game where the period scores (1-3, 3-0, 0-0) tell the full story: Sierre dominated the first 11 minutes, Olten controlled the middle frame, and the third was a stalemate. The 3-0 second period was powered exclusively by special teams — all three Olten goals either came on the power play or were set up by the momentum of the five-minute major.
What it means
Olten, missing six regulars including imports Guillaume Asselin and Jayce Hawryluk, showed resilience ahead of the 2026-27 Swiss League season. For Sierre, the collapse from 3-0 up — especially discipline-wise — will be a concern. Olten next face GDT Bellinzona at home on 18 August. Sierre continue their pre-season schedule with further preparation fixtures.
The head-to-head record now stands at 23 wins for Olten and 15 for Sierre from 38 meetings, ending Sierre's four-match unbeaten run in the fixture.
Verdict
A pre-season friendly that had no shortage of drama. Olten's ability to rally despite a skeleton squad reflects well on their depth and conditioning. Sierre will rue the undisciplined spell that undid 11 minutes of excellent work. Pre-season results carry limited weight, but the character shown by Olten matters.
Match Events
Olten and Sierre have met 37 times — Olten won 22, Sierre won 15, with 0 draws. Their rivalry dates back to 2021. Olten leads the head-to-head with 22 victories from 37 meetings. A combined 241 goals have been scored across these fixtures, averaging 6.51 per match (137 for the home side, 104 for the visitors). Both teams scored in 35 matches (95%). Over 2.5 goals landed in 36 games (97%), making it a fixture that tends to produce goals. Sierre are currently unbeaten in the last 4 meetings. The highest-scoring encounter finished 6–5 in 2021.
Statistics are for informational purposes only. Past performance does not guarantee future results.
API data: 15 Aug 2026