The LHC hosts HC Ajoie this Saturday, January 18 at 7:45 p.m. at the Vaudoise arena. The pre-match is presented to you by our main partner, Vaudoise assurances.
Reconnect with success
Following the end of this series of eight consecutive victories, Geoff Ward’s men must regain confidence after having suffered two losses earlier in the week against HC Fribourg-Gottéron (4-1) and HC Bienne (3- 2), the Lions finally find their lair at the Vaudoise arena. During their last home match on January 6, the Vaudois players foiled the trap set by EV Zug by going into overtime to secure their fifth victory in a row at home. Even if the situation is far from critical, a victory in front of the public at the Vaudoise Aréna would do a lot of good in the minds of Lausanne.
If on paper, the opposition against HC Ajoie seems to come at the perfect time, but it would be presumptuous to imagine that the upcoming match will be a walk in the park. For a few months now, the residents of the Raiffeisen Arena have been offering a much more interesting game and can compete with any National League team. The arrival of Greg Ireland was very beneficial with a balance found between the lines. Defeated twice against the Jurassians during previous meetings, our Lions will have to show great seriousness to avoid falling into the Ajoulot trap again.
The last duel between the two teams caused a lot of talk with several muscular clashes on the ice. Both teams have played a rather interesting game since the start of the season and we all hope that this match will be remembered for technical flashes rather than for the shots.
-Lausanne HC (1er – 72 points)
- 38 matches played, 25 victories (including 3 in overtime and 3 on penalties) and 13 defeats (including 2 in overtime and 1 on penalties)
- 116 goals scored and 98 goals conceded
- 27.84% efficiency in powerplay and 83.19% efficiency in boxplay
- 1184 shots taken on goal (9.54% efficiency)
- 7 shutouts
HC Ajoie (14ème – 36 points)
- 38 matches played, 12 victories (including 2 in overtime and 1 on penalties) and 26 defeats (including 3 in overtime).
- 86 goals scored and 134 goals conceded
- 24.53% efficiency in powerplay and 73.15% efficiency in boxplay
- 925 shots taken on goal (9.19% efficiency)
- 3 shutouts
Players to follow
Few positive lessons can be learned from the first two meetings of the week on the LHC side. First outrageously dominated by the Friborg Dragons, the LHC was unable to develop its game on the ice of the BCF Arena. The defender Fabian Heldner showed a realism that his teammates sorely lacked. Thursday at the Tissot Arena, there was improvement in the Lausanne ranks, particularly within the line Raffle / Jäger / Bozon. Despite a two-goal lead, the LHC players were unable to hold the score and ultimately lost 3-2. Collective cohesion will be found this Saturday. Individually, David Sklenicka stands out with an increasingly significant impact in the game offered by the Lions. Orphans ofAntti Suomela and of Theo Rochette Over these last two matches, the LHC will have to learn to be decisive without its two offensive maestros. The solution may come from number 18, Raphaël Prassl who made his return to the game on January 10 in Lugano and who is looking for his first goal with his new team.
Deprived of his fit man, Jerry Turkulainen (38 points, including 9 goals in 30 matches played) for the rest of the season, HC Ajoie had to reorganize at the start of 2025 to continue the period of improvement experienced by the Jurassiens. To do this, Greg Ireland and the Ajoulot coaching staff can count on two other offensive pillars who demonstrate impressive realism game after game. With one point scored per match, Julius Nättinen (38 points in 38 games) and Pierre-Edouard Bellemare (20 points in 20 games) play an essential role in the offensive organization. Defensively, it is Anttoni Honka who takes on the role of technical leader. Even if his 14 points scored are far from the standards of his attacking teammates, the 24-year-old Finnish defender has had a real impact on his team’s performance since his arrival last October.
The last five matches against HC Ajoie
- 07/12/2024 : HC Ajoie 4-3 Lausanne HC (AP)
- 25/10/2024 : Lausanne HC 5-6 HC Ajoie (TAB)
- 20/09/2024 : HC Ajoie 3-6 Lausanne HC
- 26/01/2023 : Lausanne HC 4-2 HC Ajoie
- 01/12/2023 : HC Ajoie 3-4 Lausanne HC (AP)
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
