After the victory in Davos, the Lions return today to their lair of the Vaudoise arena to face their best enemies from Geneva at 7:45 p.m. The pre-match is presented to you by our main partner, Vaudoise assurances.
End such a great year 2024 with a victory in the derby
No doubt, the year 2024 will remain engraved in the memory of LHC fans as one of the most beautiful in the club's century-old history. A flawless unity behind our Lions, which constitutes the strength of a team with a string of successes and approaching this last derby with determination. The story would be even more beautiful if our players were to triumph over their Geneva neighbors. Long in difficulty in this Lake Geneva duel, the men of Geoff Ward seem to have found the recipe to beat the Eagles in the National League. Still undefeated against Genève-Servette HC in the championship this year (and yes, we are deliberately leaving aside the CHL episode), the Lions will have to rely on their newfound efficiency to achieve a fourth consecutive success.
Weakened by several major absences before the international break, the LHC did not approach December under the best auspices. But after going through this complicated period and taking advantage of the break to recharge their batteries, the Lions are finishing the year in great shape. Already big winners over HC Ambri-Piotta on Wednesday at the Vaudoise Aréna (5-0), Geoff Ward's men confirmed last night with a great victory in Graubünden against HC Davos, the team in good form at the moment (1- 3).
On the Geneva side, the players of Jan Cadieux are struggling to continue after their good qualification for the CHL semi-finals. Victorious in their double confrontation against the German team of Bremerhaven, the Eagles shine on the European scene, advancing towards a potential second consecutive title. These successes, however, contrast with their mixed career in the National League. After a complicated start to the season marked by an atypical schedule, the teammates of Roger Karrer had raised the bar at the end of November with five victories in six matches. However, December promises to be more difficult: only one success in four matches.
This contrast in dynamics between the two teams will have to be further exploited this evening to ignite the Vaudoise Aréna and end the year on a festive note.
Lausanne HC (3ème – 56 points)
- 30 matches played, 19 victories (including 2 in overtime and 2 on penalties) and 11 defeats (including 2 in overtime and 1 on penalties)
- 93 goals scored and 84 goals conceded
- 28.21% efficiency in powerplay and 80.85% efficiency in boxplay
- 972 shots taken on goal (9.36% efficiency)
- 6 shutouts
Genève-Servette HC (12th – 36 points)
- 27 matches played, 12 victories (including 3 in overtime and 2 on penalties) and 15 defeats (including 5 in overtime).
- 76 goals scored and 76 goals conceded
- 30.14% efficiency in powerplay and 87.18% efficiency in boxplay
- 760 shots taken on goal (9.74% efficiency)
- 2 shutouts
Players to follow
After his equalizing goal against HC Davos, all eyes could turn to the LHC captain, Joel Genazzi. Returning to a key role in the Vaud rearguard, our number 79 scored his second goal of the season and continues to transform into a real Swiss army knife for the team. His repositioning, however, left a void in the fourth line, now made up of Makai Holdener, Benjamin Bougro et Michael Hügli. A reshuffled trio which, far from being destabilized, shone last night by restoring the advantage to the LHC at the start of the third period.
Finally, it is important to talk about the effectiveness of the line of Tim Bozon, Ken Jaeger and of Jason Fuchs since the recovery. The last named is still looking for his first achievement of the season, having scored 18 goals during the previous year. A period of shortage well compensated by the very good vision of the game of our number 14, who currently totals 16 assists in 24 matches, almost as many as during the entire regular season in 2023-24. Hats off to the artist.
Speaking of artists, the strong men of Genève-Servette HC had more difficulty on Friday at the Patinoire des Vernets against the reigning champions from Zurich. The usual offensive leaders, Markus Granlund (29 points in 21 games, including 14 goals) and Sakari Manninen (29 points in 27 games, including 11 goals), remained in the shadows, whileAlessio Bertaggia et Oula Palve stood out for their aggressiveness.
The absence of Teemu Hartikainen continues to weigh heavily on Geneva's performances, but it would be imprudent to underestimate the impact of the men of Jan Cadieux. Like our Lions, they will undoubtedly be carried by the stakes and the intensity of this derby.
The last meetings against Genève-Servette HC in the National League
- 10/23/2024: Geneva-Servette HC 2-3 Lausanne HC
- 17/09/2024 : Lausanne HC 2-1 Genève-Servette HC
- 27/02/2024 : Lausanne HC 4-0 Genève-Servette HC
- 23/12/2023 : Genève-Servette HC 4-2 Lausanne HC
- 24/10/2023 : Genève-Servette HC 3-2 Lausanne HC
Practical information
On the sidelines of this new home meeting, here is the practical information to know before the start of the meeting:
- 5 p.m. – Start of entertainment on the square in front of the Vaudoise arena (bars, food trucks, etc.)
- 6 p.m. – Opening of the doors of the Vaudoise arena
- 7:45 p.m. – Start of the meeting
