In the first two quarter-final games, Lugano demanded everything from the defending champions ZSC Lions, yet the score was 0:2. Either way, the Bianconeri showed a positive development.
25.03.2026, 05:00
25.03.2026, 07:03
SDA
The shooting ratio says nothing about the quality of the shots, but it does have a certain significance. In the first two quarter-final duels, it was 67:44 in favor of Lugano, but ZSC still leads the series 2:0 thanks to a 3:0 and a 5:4 victory.
The congenial duo of Denis Malgin and Sven Andrighetto have been responsible for three of the Lions' eight goals so far. Lugano's sporting director Janick Steinmann praised the two in an interview with the Keystone-SDA news agency: "They are the best two players outside the NHL."
Defying the weak start to the season
Despite the two defeats, the Bianconeri are also encouraged by their performance. They can also draw strength from their experiences after the weak start to the season. After finishing 13th in the previous season - the Ticino side fell behind 0:2 in the playout against Ajoie (4:2) - the negative trend seemed to continue. The HCL lost seven of their first eight games.
Nevertheless, there was no panic as the new Swedish coach Tomas Mitell kept his nerve in the shark tank that is Lugano. "He remained extremely calm," says Steinmann. That paid off: Lugano won 27 of its next 44 games and finished the regular season two points behind third-placed Genève-Servette in 5th place in the table.
Mitell knows how to become champion. In 2022, he led Färjestad to the title in Sweden. In the 2023/24 season, he was named SHL Coach of the Year. "The system he teaches is very modern and at a very high level," says Steinmann. "He has a good connection to the players without being too close to them. They all feel his appreciation. If a so-called top player doesn't perform, he takes him to task. If the coach always puts the team first, that rubs off on everyone."
Steinmann has been head of sport at Lugano since the beginning of March last year. Prior to that, the 39-year-old held the same position at the Rapperswil-Jona Lakers from 2019. During his time, the team from St. Gallen reached the playoff semi-finals once (2021), finished fourth in qualifying once (2021/22) and third once (2022/23). Given the Lakers' financial resources, that is an excellent record.
The team is above all else
Steinmann attaches great importance to a good team culture, a high work ethic and ensuring that everyone pulls together and puts personal demands to one side. He puts together a team accordingly, but emphasizes: "In one season, not everything can be rebuilt in such a way that every part fits together. Once the team has been consolidated, one or two artists can perhaps be brought in, but it can't take too many."
In any case, it's no coincidence that only the ZSC Lions (115) conceded fewer goals than Lugano (120) in qualifying. The team from southern Ticino was the fourth-best team in the box score, having not conceded a power play goal in 13 consecutive games until Jesper Fröden's 1:1 in the second quarter-final game on Monday. These statistics speak for the high work ethic.
Since reaching the final eight years ago, Lugano has never made it past the quarterfinals in the playoffs. "Honestly, I didn't even know that," says Steinmann. "I'm not interested in what happened in the past. My only concern at the moment is how we can challenge ZSC." Despite the two defeats, his team's performances give him confidence. The series continues on Wednesday in Zurich.
