The LHC continues to display its character and regularity

The only time Lausanne HC was surprised twice in a row was at the start of the new season. A defeat on September 21 at home against Lugano followed by another setback three days later in Kloten, while the Zurich team had a successful start to the season.

Since this double hiccup, the LHC has never lost two matches in a row. A mark of character and a sign of maturity for a team that has mastered the art of rebounding. Even the unavailability of several key elements due to injury did not derail the LHC.

There weren’t that many defeats: the Lions only lost five matches, including two in a row in September and three others over the whole month of October (in Zurich and Davos). , as well as against Ajoie at the Vaudoise arena).

This consistency and this ability to string together three-point victories – the LHC is, with EV Zug, the team which has won most often in regulation time – are part of the reasons why the Lions are firmly established at the front of the standings after 17 matches (34 points), in second position three points behind the reigning champions, the Zurich Lions.

Kevin Pasche loves shutouts

“He’s a goalkeeper who gives you a good chance to win every game.” The compliment, addressed to Kevin Pasche, comes from Cristobal Huet, the Lausanne HC goalkeeper coach. With three shutouts already – including two in a row – on the clock this season, the Lions’ number one goalkeeper (92.7% saves) is one of the reasons why the LHC is so successful. No other goalkeeper across the league has been perfect so many times in front of his net since the start of the 2024-2025 fiscal year.

For the 21-year-old Vaudois, the next step is to make his way into the wider national team framework. Kevin Pasche and number two Antoine Keller both exceeded expectations. All that remains to be confirmed is the duration. Starting with Friday evening in the capital against Bern (7:45 p.m.), where the LHC will have to display all its character to emerge unscathed from the Bear’s Den.

Théo Rochette reflects the confidence of the LHC

In the Vaud collective, one helmet (top scorer’s yellow) stands out: that of Théo Rochette, a hockey player on fire! Number 90 – called up to the Swiss team for the Karjala Cup along with Damien Riat and Fabian Heldner – is at the top of the scorers’ ranking among Swiss players (17 matches, 17 points including 8 goals). It has especially been untenable for five matches. His loot? 4 goals, 5 assists, an average of almost two personal points per outing.

Here he is at the top of the LHC scorers ahead of Finnish Antti Suomela, and in sixth position across the league. In terms of points per game, only CP Berne player Marco Lehmann displayed more consistency among Swiss hockey players (1.07 points per game). The Bears forward, who skates alongside the National League’s co-top scorer, American Austin Czarnik, has collected 16 units (including 9 goals) in 15 games. Friday in the capital, the distance duel between Rochette and Lehmann, the two most effective Swiss in the championship, will be worth the trip.

Even the injured were not a problem

It was Chris McSorley, in his great Geneva years, who had his theory on the subject: “there is only one thing that can ruin the season of a good team, and that is injuries”. If some clubs were a little less affected than others, Lausanne HC did not fall between the drops. The first tile fell even before the start of the championship with the announcement of the absence for several months of Swedish defender Lawrence Pilut (ruptured Achilles heel, returning in 2025).

The other blow was the relapse of Austrian leader Michael Raffl, injured again after his return to action against Freiburg in mid-October and now on the sidelines for a good two more months. Other pillars of the group, such as defender Lukas Frick and striker Jason Fuchs, have recently swelled the ranks of the Lausanne infirmary. On the ice, the LHC nevertheless continued to perform with regularity, as if these absences had no weight in the equation. Even the schedule, particularly busy with a very successful run in the Champions Hockey League, did not diminish the Lions’ performances. To be confirmed before the international break.

“The Lions Tribune”

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