Swiss make flying start in Tatra Cup

Swiss player Julien Vauclair and goalie Lars Weibel up against Norway's Tor Vikingstad at the Tatra Cup Keystone

In their first match of hockey's Tatra Cup, the Swiss were burning up the ice as they beat Norway 3-0 in Trencin, Slovakia on Thursday.

Switzerland’s Patrick Fischer, Marc Reichert and Marcel Jenni all scored during the game. However, they lost fellow team mate, Sandro Rizzi from Davos, who was taken out because of a head injury.

Despite their loss, Norway put up a tough fight and proved to be a formidable adversary. But they were no match for the Swiss, who were tactical titans during the game.

The Swiss were especially careful to guard their defence at all times and continued to gain confidence after Fischer scored the first goal 18 minutes into the game. Reichert scored in the second period, and Jenni in the third.

The Swiss finished the game within less than two hours thanks to new rules of engagement which specify that players now have only five seconds to be ready after the referee lifts his arm.

If a player is missing, the line judge throws down the puck anyway. Hockey experts have said this change has made the rhythm of the game more intense.

The Swiss coach, Ralph Krueger, showed his pride in his players calling the match one of the “best they ever played in terms of engagement and aggression”. He added, “Switzerland is one of the only nations who mix the North American state-of-mind with European technique”.

Switzerland will go up against Belarus on Friday during their second match at the Trencin Tournament.

swissinfo with agencies