After five matches, Fribourg-Gottéron has only beaten one National League team: HC Ajoie. It was at home, in the first match of the 2024-2025 season. Since this victory, the first “after Christian Dubé”, the first also for his successor Patrick Emond, the Dragons have taken a nosedive. Whether in Langnau (4-2 defeat), against Rapperswil (1-2 after extra time), against Bienne (2-3 after penalties) and, finally, Friday in Kloten (5-2), the band Emond has only collected setbacks.
Even if the sample of matches played so far (five) remains modest, a first constant is essential: Fribourg-Gottéron is skating in a vacuum at the start of the season. At this rate, the people of Friborg risk letting the good car slip away and jeopardizing the rest of their season.
Friday in Kloten, the Dragons sank spectacularly in the second period, conceding three goals in quick succession (25th, 27th and 33rd), the time for the Zurich residents to increase without forcing their lead to 4-0 just after mid-match . Goalkeeper Bryan Rüegger, preferred to Reto Berra, thus experienced a very complicated first part of the evening. Chris Di Domenico, with a skillful deflection on a pivotal shot from Jacob de la Rose, however allowed Fribourg-Gottéron to reduce the gap just before the second break (39th, 4-1). At the end of the match, Marcus Sörensen, 6 against 5, scored the goal of hope (57th, 4-2).
If Fribourg-Gottéron is doing badly at the start of the campaign, the Zurich team, led by a new coach (Finnish Lauri Marjamäki), is the team of the moment in the National League with four wins in its first five matches of the season. For Patrick Emond and Fribourg-Gottéron, the hardest part is yet to come since the Dragons have not yet faced the big National League teams. It will start on Saturday with the visit of the ZSC Lions, reigning Swiss champions, to Friborg (7:45 p.m.). Victory and benchmark match, or a fifth consecutive defeat for Patrick Emond’s Dragons?
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