Sierre vs Bellinzona Snakes

Sierre controlled the opening twenty minutes without dominating. Damien Prevate opened the scoring at 14:15, finishing a rush fed by Mottet and Maxime Montandon. Defenceman Noah Berthoud doubled the lead at 18:44 after a setup from Michael Völlmin and Mottet again. The hosts carried a 2–0 lead into the first intermission despite taking an early penalty — Nathan Favre collected three minor penalties inside the opening 17 minutes for Bellinzona.

The second period was a goalless, penalty-packed slog — 28 combined PIM across the middle frame, including offsetting roughing calls, a misconduct on Völlmin, and extended 4-on-4 stretches. Neither team capitalised on the powerplay, and the score stayed 2–0 at the second break.

The game flipped inside 110 seconds early in the third. William Hedlund pulled one back on a 5-on-3 powerplay at 40:29, and Enea Togni equalised on another man-advantage at 42:45 — both goals set up by Eliot Bernazzi. Damian Meier then put Bellinzona ahead at 47:14 with an even-strength strike, completing a 3–0 run in under seven minutes.

Trailing for the first time all night, Sierre needed an immediate answer — and got one. Julien Privet levelled at 49:07 on a setup from Völlmin and Marco Maurer, restoring parity just 1:53 after Meier's go-ahead goal. The momentum held with the hosts, and Mathieu Vouillamoz hammered in the winner at 53:12, converting Arnaud Riat's feed. After Bellinzona pulled goalie Nassim Jaafri-Hayani for the extra skater, Killian Mottet iced the result into an empty net at 58:03.

The decisive stretch — Bellinzona's three-goal burst answered by Sierre's three-goal response — defined a game that had been tight and penalty-ridden through 40 minutes.

Killian Mottet (Sierre) — Player of the match. One empty-net goal and two primary assists. His vision on the breakout was Sierre's most consistent attacking threat all night.

Michael Völlmin (Sierre) — Two secondary assists and steady defensive work despite taking 4 PIM. His outlet pass started the sequence that led to Privet's equaliser.

Eliot Bernazzi (Bellinzona) — Set up both powerplay goals (Hedlund and Togni) that sparked Bellinzona's third-period surge. The visitors' most productive forward.

Mathieu Vouillamoz (Sierre) — Scored the game-winning goal at 53:12, his first of the pre-season, redirecting Arnaud Riat's pass past Jaafri-Hayani.

SIHF records show Sierre with 28 penalty minutes to Bellinzona's 20 in a chippy contest refereed by Michael Fritschi and Fabrice Fausel. Sierre killed 10 of 12 shorthanded situations (83.3%) but crucially gave up two powerplay goals in the span of 2:16 early in the third, turning a comfortable 2–0 lead into a 2–3 deficit. Bellinzona's penalty kill was perfect (4/4, 100%), but Sierre did not need a powerplay goal to win — all five Sierre goals came at even strength or into an empty net.

Bellinzona made a goalie change at 29:33, replacing starter Remo Giovannini with Thibault Fatton. Jaafri-Hayani was pulled at 57:20 and returned after Mottet's empty-netter. Shot counts were not published by SIHF's game centre.

A pre-season friendly carries no standings weight, but the manner of the win matters for squad confidence. Sierre showed resilience after conceding three in quick succession, recovering within two minutes. Bellinzona will rue a 3–2 lead they could not protect.

Sierre's pre-season continues before their Sky Swiss League regular-season opener at home against HC La Chaux-de-Fonds on Friday 18 September at Patinoire de Graben. Bellinzona's next warm-up fixture is scheduled away to EHC Visp — a date was not yet confirmed at the time of writing.

A pre-season game that had control, collapse, comeback, and a late empty-net dagger. Sierre's response to going behind was the most encouraging takeaway for head coach and fans. Bellinzona will find positives in the two powerplay goals but will worry about the defensive lapses that followed.