The EVZ ice hockey women are the cup winners again

The EV Zug ice hockey women have successfully defended their National Women’s Cup title, thanks to a 4-0 victory over HC Davos Ladies in the Vaudoise Arena in Lausanne, where the final games were played. But the team is still far from satisfied.
 

‘We want to steamroll them,’ said Lara Stalder during the first intermission. Such clear statements in public are rare, but if anyone can get away with them, it's the captain of the EVZ women's team. At the time of her statement, Zug were leading 2-0 against HC Davos in Saturday's cup final. They had been in control of the game from the start and could easily have been leading by a much bigger margin; Alina Marti hit the post, for example.

Lara Stalder fared better – she scored twice. After a face-off goal to make it 1-0 (4th minute), which she later described as a ‘lucky shot’, she made it 2-0 with a perfect wrist shot on the power play (10th minute). The 31-year-old from Lucerne also scored the 3-0 (44th minute). In the end, Zug won the match 4-0.

Only one goal conceded in four cup games
While this is not a result that would suggest they ‘ran roughshod’ over their opponents, it is a result that reflects their dominance. They had already demonstrated this in the cup: after beating lower-league GCK Lions 15-0 on 30th November, and Women's League bottom club NHA Neuchâtel 9-0 on 20th December, EVZ defeated ZSC Lions 7-1 in Friday's semi-final.

The Zug women conceded just one goal in the entire campaign. The fact that this came when they were two players down also speaks volumes.

‘Thanks to our high speed, we were able to dictate the games for the most part,’ said Rahel Enzler, looking ahead to the Cup final tournament in Lausanne. The forward from Unterägeri was involved in three goals in the semi-final and set up Lara Stalder for her third goal in the final.

The team's senior player, Kristina Kontny (37), who had transferred to EVZ during the season, had already celebrated cup victories with the ZSC Lions. She emphasised the strong Zug collective, which includes not only the players but also the staff. ‘That makes the victory all the more significant,’ she said. They are enjoying the success, but also know ‘that it is only one step on the way and we have to continue to work hard.’

No room for arrogance
This insatiability is what sets the Zug women apart. Given their dominance in the Women's League, coach Daniela Diaz's most important task is to nip any tendency towards arrogance in the bud. By setting self-defined milestones and constantly appealing for humility and hard work, she is clearly succeeding.
 

The team and fans celebrate the title, with the jersey of the injured Noemi Ryhner at the bottom right
Hat-trick hero Lara Stalder played a major role in the latest cup victory.
Canadian Laura Fuoco has only been part of the team for a short time              Photos: Pascal Muller/Freshfocus
 

Added to this is the painful memory that EVZ performed similarly well last season. They won the cup and then also advanced to the playoff final, where they failed to win a single game against SC Bern.

Incredible rush
Speaking of SC Bern, the current title holders are poised to once again become Zug's number one challenger. With two matches to go before the end of the qualification round, the Bernese women are in second place in the table, 18 points behind Zug, thanks to their recent victory in the top match against Ambri-Piotta. Of their last eleven games, the SCB women have lost only one, but that was a clear 2-8 defeat against EVZ.

Two games until the Olympic break
As luck would have it, Zug will face the same opponents in the final weekend of the qualification round as they did in the cup final tournament. They will be the guests of the ZSC Lions on Saturday, (2 pm), and will host HC Davos in the OYM Hall on Sunday at 2.30 pm.

It is highly questionable whether Noemi Ryhner will be able to play in these games. She caused a shock moment last weekend: shortly before the end of the semi-final game, she collided with teammate Nina Harju, slammed onto the ice and screamed in pain. The Baar native was only able to leave the rink on her knees. She is now on the EVZ injury list, with the note that her availability will be reassessed on a day-to-day basis.

She was nevertheless symbolically represented in the official cup winners' photo on Saturday: goalkeeper Chiara Pfosi held up her jersey.