Record attendance and a landslide victory in ‘top ice hockey match’

The EVZ ice hockey women defeated second-placed Ambri-Piotta 9-0 in front of more than 3,000 fans at the weekend. But Baar striker Noemi Ryhner urges concentration ahead of the coming weekend.
 

There was beautiful weather outside on Sunday, 11th January. So who would voluntarily stay inside and avoid the sun? 3,779 people answered this question with a yes, and attended the ice hockey match in the OYM stadium in Zug between the EVZ women and Ambri-Piotta. That was a Swiss record attendance for a qualifying match.

The sporting situation alone couldn’t really explain this situation. True enough, the first-placed team was playing the second-placed team. But given the dominance of the Zug women and their recent form, the outcome of the game was almost certain from the start.

But the final result was unexpected – unexpectedly high: EVZ won 9-0. In defence of the Ticino women, it has to be said that their three best scorers, Michaela Pejzlová, Lena-Marie Lutz and Fanny Rask, were missing.

Jubilation amongst the Zug women with Noemi Ryhner (second from right)           
Chiara Eggli (right) outruns Ambri's top scorer Julia Liikala              Photos: Boris Bürgisser
 

This was also a playoff record in Zug
The Zug women awee left with memories of an easy victory – and the large crowd. The previous record was set by Fribourg-Gottéron (3,037). Overall, the Zug women also hold the overall record: 4,136 spectators were present in March 2025 for the playoff game against HC Davos.

‘Sunday's turnout shows that women's hockey in Zug not only experienced a boom at the beginning, but that the enthusiasm also continues,’ says Zug forward Noemi Ryhner, adding: ‘The fans give us a lot and motivate us to perform even better.’

The record crowd was also the result of targeted efforts by the club to attract fans: with a soft toy campaign to benefit Children in Need – and, above all, with free admission thanks to the long-standing sponsor Zuger Cantonal Bank stepping in. Given the good atmosphere and the resounding victory, it was ultimately a win-win situation. Some of the children who were at the game for the first time are likely to want to persuade their parents to come again.

Who can stop Zug?
There’s a good chance that they could then be present to witness the first championship title for a Zug women's team in 21 years (provided the kick-off time is family-friendly, of course). From a sporting point of view, there are hardly any arguments against an EVZ triumph after the performances in recent weeks.

But Noemi Ryhner is putting the brakes on the euphoria: "We still see a lot of room for improvement, because we always experience slumps during games. If the opponent takes advantage of these phases, the results and also the outcomes of the games could be different. That's why we can't feel like we're just going to win every game. Especially in the playoffs, everything will start from scratch. We saw that in last year's final." Zug lost that final to Bern without a single win in the final series.

There’s may well be some time before the playoffs, but there’s already a title at stake next weekend in Lausanne – the Swiss Women’s Cup. Unlike a playoff series, there is a risk here that a bad day could cost them the title.

Noemi Ryhner is well aware of this. The 25-year-old national player from Baar is already very experienced, having won three championship titles in Switzerland and one in Sweden, as well as the cup with the ZSC Lions (2016) and EVZ (2025). ‘It's about a trophy, and everyone is excited about it – us, but also our opponents. Games like this don't tolerate any weak phases. If we can keep it up for 60 minutes, we'll play in the final and win the Cup again,’ she said.