Individual training at 6 a.m.

Despite quarantine, but under strictly regulated conditions, EVZ players are once again allowed to train on the ice at the OYM Top Sports Centre in Cham. They will eat and sleep in single rooms.

The saying "A disaster rarely comes alone" could accurately describe the situation at the EVZ last weekend. The Friday night match against Lugano could not take place because the Ticino team had to wait for more than three hours in front of the Gotthard Tunnel, and then had to travel back again. The next bad news arrived the very next day: the away game against SC Bern had to be postponed. After a Zug team member tested positive and other people showed symptoms, the cantonal doctor ordered a 10-day quarantine for the entire team. The professionals have now been housed at the Spitzensportzentrum OYM (top sports centre OYM) in Cham from yesterday until Saturday.

An exception is made for staff members such as Dan Tangnes and Klas Östman, as well as three players who tested positive for Corona back in October. The Zug team are thereby the first team in the National League to be under ‘house arrest’ for a second time.

Players eat and sleep in single rooms
The players all took another corona test on Tuesday. Thanks to a well-thought-out concept, those who test negative are now allowed to train twice a day in the OYM – in the early morning and in the late evening. True to the motto: A special situation requires special measures. The training units thereby take place outside the normal OYM operating hours. The first professional was thereby already sweating on the ice at 6 a.m. on Thursday, while all the other users of the OYM were still enjoying their dreams.

The concept was developed by head of sport Reto Kläy, together with the coaching staff and the OYM employees, and has been approved by the Zug Health Directorate. "We have dealt with the question of how we can bridge the quarantine period in the most meaningful way," explains Reto Kläy.

"The players benefit because they don't have to sit around doing nothing anymore."

The requirements are particularly stringent, however: the paths of the players in the building must not cross, any contact with other persons must be avoided. Two training sessions of around 75 minutes are planned for each professional per day. The ice training is followed by dry exercises, where the players do a kind of orientation run.

Nothing is left to chance, and the processes are meticulously planned. The fear that Corona will strike again is too great. After the training sessions, the players go to separate dressing rooms. Until they are ‘released’ from the OYM on Saturday evening, every professional has his own room, where they have to eat, shower, sleep and spend their training-free time.

Some players are still in isolation
Despite individual training, these units are a welcome change, according to Captain Raphael Diaz. "Contact with the ice is extremely important for us. We must be grateful that we have this opportunity at all. That's not the case with other teams." Dealing with Corona has almost become routine for Diaz. The observance of the many regulations and measures is always in the back of your mind. "We all hope that the season can be played to the end," he adds, and he is convinced that his teammates take the rules of conduct seriously. "Any further contagion could lead to game postponements. We know that we have a huge responsibility," says Raphael Diaz. Compared to the original match plan, the EV Zug is now five games behind.

A few players are still in isolation, and the quarantine lasts until Sunday night. If the corona doesn't flare up again, the players will be able to train together again on Monday. The EVZ will resume the championship operation next Thursday, December 3rd, and would like to chalk up the next victory in the home game against SC Bern. With the ice training during the quarantine, the Zug management team has created the prerequisites for this.