Club Friendly· Season 2026
HC Ajoie routed Dragons de Rouen 5-1 in the Coupe des Bains opener at Yverdon, with Valtteri Turkulainen scoring twice in the first period to set the tone
Match Videos
Match Analysis
AI SummaryHow It Unfolded
Turkulainen struck first at 11:06, finishing a feed from Eemeli Tanus to open the scoring. Just over seven minutes later, at 18:24, the same combination struck again — Tanus and Julius Honka setting up Turkulainen for his second of the night, sending Ajoie into the first intermission with a 2-0 lead.
Ajoie kept the pressure on in the second period. Deniss Smirnovs made it 3-0 at 30:27, converting a chance set up by Rihards Sopa. Rouen pulled one back at 38:22 through an unassisted goal — the only bright spot of the night for the French side — but the deficit remained two goals heading into the third.
Daniel Carr, the experienced Canadian forward acquired by Ajoie as their sixth import during the off-season, restored the three-goal cushion at 44:16 off another Tanus assist. Julius Honka added a second helper on Jerry Turkulainen's strike at 51:56, sealing the 5-1 final.
The Turning Point
Turkulainen's second goal at 18:24, just seven minutes after his first, crushed any hope Rouen had of taking control. Coming late in the first period, it gave Ajoie a two-goal buffer that forced Rouen to chase the game from the opening minute of the second. The French champions never got closer than 3-1.
Key Performers
Valtteri Turkulainen (Ajoie) — Player of the Match. Two clinical first-period finishes (11:06, 18:24) that set the tone and gave Ajoie full control before the game was 20 minutes old.
Eemeli Tanus (Ajoie) — Three primary assists on the night, setting up both Turkulainen goals and Carr's third-period strike. The Finnish forward ran the show from the slot.
Daniel Carr (Ajoie) — The former NHLer scored his first goal in Ajoie colours at 44:16 and looked sharp in his second pre-season appearance for the Swiss side.
Julius Honka (Ajoie) — The former NHL/AHL defenceman collected two assists from the blue line, showing the offensive instincts that prompted Ajoie to bring him to the National League.
By the Numbers
Ajoie scored five goals on the night despite missing several regulars still integrating into Peltonen's system. The match was played in front of 532 spectators at Yverdon's Patinoire d'Yverdon-les-Bains. The 5-1 scoreline reflects a wider gap than the H2H history suggested — Rouen had lost their only previous meeting with Ajoie 5-3 in 2025 — but the Ligue Magnus champions were outclassed in all three zones.
What It Means
Ajoie start their Coupe des Bains schedule with a win. They face Fischtown Pinguins Bremerhaven on Thursday 20 August (20:15, Yverdon). Rouen, who had opened their pre-season with a 3-0 home win over Angers on 14 August, continue their Swiss tour against reigning Swiss champions Fribourg-Gottéron on Wednesday 19 August (19:45, Yverdon), followed by Lausanne HC on Friday 21 August. The Ligue Magnus season begins in mid-September.
Verdict
Ajoie's superior conditioning and finishing told against a Rouen side still finding their rhythm under coach Fabrice Landry after the off-season changes. Turkulainen and Tanus are developing dangerous chemistry early. Rouen will face stiffer tests against Fribourg and Lausanne, but they need to tighten up defensively after conceding five.
Rouen and Ajoie have met 2 times — Rouen won 0, Ajoie won 2, with 0 draws. Their rivalry dates back to 2023. Ajoie leads the head-to-head with 2 victories from 2 meetings. A combined 13 goals have been scored across these fixtures, averaging 6.50 per match (3 for the home side, 10 for the visitors). Both teams scored in 1 match (50%). Over 2.5 goals landed in 2 games (100%), making it a fixture that tends to produce goals. The highest-scoring encounter finished 5–3 in 2025.
Statistics are for informational purposes only. Past performance does not guarantee future results.
API data: 20 Aug 2026