Fribourg-Gottéron make a successful start to their title defense at the Spengler Cup. At the start of the traditional tournament in Davos, the Fribourg team beat Sparta Prague 5:2.
26.12.2025, 17:45
26.12.2025, 19:42
SDA
Last year's winners got off to a perfect start in every respect. Attilio Biasca put the National League runners-up into the lead after just 81 seconds, and shortly before the end of the middle third he increased the lead to 2:0. In the final period, Henrik Borgström only needed 19 seconds to make a preliminary decision.
As last year, Gottéron were cheered on by a full arena and many things worked. The 2:0 and the 3:0 were scored in overtime. Biasca, a young Spengler Cup debutant who had come from Zug this season, scored twice, and goalie Reto Berra was a bank at the back. The 38-year-old veteran stopped 25 of 27 shots. Berra was particularly needed in the middle third until 2:0, when the Czechs had their best phase and were also unlucky with a shot on the crossbar.
After 3:0, the game was basically over. Marcus Sörensen scored to make it 4-0 with a wonderful finish, but Pavel Kousal spoiled Berra's first shutout at the Spengler Cup nine minutes before the end. But that was as close as the two-time tournament winners got to the Swiss. Sörensen made it 5:1 again with his fourth goal into an empty net, the 5:2 was only scored six seconds before the end with the Czechs playing six against three.
Fribourg-Gottéron have thus got off to an even better start than last year, which culminated in the first title in the club's history. Back then, they lost to the Czech representative Pardubice on penalties. Now the second and final group game against IFK Helsinki continues on Sunday afternoon, with the chance to qualify directly for the semi-finals. The Finns start the tournament on Saturday against Sparta Prague.
Telegram:
Fribourg-Gottéron - Sparta Prague 5:2 (1:0, 1:0, 3:2)
Davos. - 6267 spectators (sold out). - SR Kaukokari/Kova (FIN). -
Goals: 2. Biasca (Bertschy, Borgström) 1:0. 39. Biasca (Sörensen, Kapla/powerplay goal) 2:0. 41. (40:19) Borgström (Sörensen/powerplay goal) 3:0. 49. Sörensen (Schmid, Rathgeb) 4:0. 51. Kousal 4:1. 59. (58:26) Sörensen 5:1 (into the empty net). 60. (59:54) Spacek (Chlapik, Krejcik/at 5 against 3) 5:2 (without goalie). - Penalties: 7 times 2 plus 10 (Cajkovsky) minutes against Fribourg, 5 times 2 minutes against Sparta Prague.
Fribourg-Gottéron: Berra; Glauser, Streule; Rathgeb, Kapla; Jecker, Nemeth; Cajkovsky, Seiler; Sörensen, De la Rose, Schmid; Bertschy, Borgström, Biasca; Sprunger, Walser, Marchon; Ljunggren, Dorthe, Rau.
Sparta Prague: Kovar; Pysyk, Krejcik; Irving, Masik; Sirota, Nemecek; Seppälä; Chlapik, Spacek, Kousal; Repik, Shore, Vesalainen; Dzierkals, Krystof Hrabik, Raska; Michal Vitouch, Eberle, David Vitouch; Ondrej Hrabik.
Remarks: 34. crossbar shot Shore. 56th timeout Sparta Prague, from 55:05 to 57:16, 57:50 to 58:26 and 58:58 to 59:54 without goalkeeper.
