Zug United wins the Swiss unihockey cup

Zug United has won the Swiss unihockey (floorball) cup for the first time. The team from Central Switzerland won the final against Malans in the sold out Wankdorfhalle in Bern by 6: 5 after extra time. Piranha Chur took the women’s title.

It had been speculated that Malans would have an advantage due to their greater experience, being the seventh time that the team from Graubünden have been in a cup final. But the Zug team showed no fear in its first-ever final.

Emil Julkunen put the defiant and aggressive Zug team in the lead after just four minutes. The Finn, who was the second-best scorer for Nicklas Hedstal's team in qualifying, was to play a key role in this game.

When the 29-year-old scored his second goal eight seconds before the second break, giving his team a 4-2 lead, he put the Zug team in a good position to receive the cup for the first time – which he himself had already won in 2017 with the Grasshoppers. But Joshua Schnell and Kevin Nylund then equalised for Malans nine minutes before the final siren for the third period. Julkunen then scored his third goal, before Schnell’s subsequent goal brought Malans back into the game, which ended at 5-5, and therefore went into extra time.

Zug ecstasy: the Central Swiss win their first title

Both teams had excellent opportunities in extra time. The referees had to consult the video for the second time in this game for a possible Zug goal – and the cheers of the fans subsided quickly when it was disallowed, but a shot from Alexander Larsson slammed into the goal a few moments later, leaving no doubt about the first cup victory of the club, which was only founded in 2004.

It is a success that few people expected from the Central Switzerland team – it was even thought they would have to fight hard reach the playoff qualification after Patrik Rokka and Billy Nilsson, two of the team’s best scorers with a total of 92 points, left the team with. Zug United clearly demonstrated that forecasts don't always come true, however.

In the women’s game, Piranha Chur beat Kloten-Dietikon by 7-2 in front to 2,295 spectators in the well-filled Wankdorfhalle, the third time the team had lifted the cup.