One of the new Swedes at the Rapperswil-Jona Lakers: Malte Strömwall (left)
Image: Keystone
The Swede Stefan Hedlund is in his fourth season as head coach of the Rapperswil-Jona Lakers
Image: Keystone
Rapperswil forward Sandro Zangger (right) in Tuesday's game against the ZSC Lions, here with top scorer Denis Malgin
Image: Keystone
The Lakers are the only team to have scored in each of their first seven championship games
Image: Keystone
Left a big gap at Obersee: Roman Cervenka
Image: Keystone
One of the new Swedes at the Rapperswil-Jona Lakers: Malte Strömwall (left)
Image: Keystone
The Swede Stefan Hedlund is in his fourth season as head coach of the Rapperswil-Jona Lakers
Image: Keystone
Rapperswil forward Sandro Zangger (right) in Tuesday's game against the ZSC Lions, here with top scorer Denis Malgin
Image: Keystone
The Lakers are the only team to have scored in each of their first seven championship games
Image: Keystone
Left a big gap at Obersee: Roman Cervenka
Image: Keystone
The Rapperswil-Jona Lakers are the only team to have scored in each of their first seven games. With an unprecedented Swedish wave, they are making up for last season's failure.
The image of a glass half full or half empty has rarely been as fitting as it is at the moment for the Rapperswil-Jona Lakers. They have never left the ice empty-handed this season, but after four wins to start the season, they lost their last three games in overtime or - as on Tuesday evening at champions ZSC Lions - twice in penalty shoot-outs. "We just lost, of course I'm not satisfied," head coach Stefan Hedlund told Keystone-SDA outside the visitors' dressing room in Zurich-Altstetten.
However, the 49-year-old Swede does not look completely dissatisfied either. He is quite pleased with his team's performance. This is anything but a matter of course after last season's difficult campaign, when the team even threatened to drop out of the playoffs for a long time and playoff qualification was a long way off. "Coach Stefan Hedlund is under fire, the vultures are circling over the Lido," wrote Blick in its season preview. The situation was further complicated by the unplanned and late return to the home country of Czech captain and attacking genius Roman Cervenka.
A new dynamic
However, this supposed weakening may even turn out to be a stroke of luck. It was clear to everyone that the towering figure of the last five years could not be replaced one-to-one, and a player of Cervenka's caliber is not really in the Lakers' budget. Instead, everyone else stepped up their game. "That motivated us to get a little better again," believes forward Sandro Zangger, whose 2:3 in Zurich was the starting signal for the comeback in the final period, thanks to which the Lakers at least managed to get a point. "You can't really replace him, but it was an incentive for us to regroup," said Zangger.
Sporting director Janick Steinmann did an excellent job of reorganizing the team. Four new Swedes joined the club, meaning that the foreign team now consists of six Swedes and the Dane Nicklas Jensen. Zangger praises the new signings. "We have really good characters in the team," enthuses the 30-year-old native of Jon. "We often go to lunch together, it's a different dynamic than last year."
The fact that a coach, two assistants and two players from Sweden were already there certainly made it easier for the newcomers to settle in. For coach Hedlund, however, nationality is not a priority. "Where someone was born is of secondary importance to us," emphasizes the head coach from the field hockey stronghold of Lulea in the north of Sweden, who is in his fourth season on the sidelines in Rapperswil. "As a small organization with a limited budget, it is very important for us that our foreigners are first and foremost phenomenal people who fit into our structure and secondly phenomenal field hockey players."
Raised as a team player
However, it is precisely on the first point that the advantages of his compatriots come to the fore. "Most Swedes are very team-oriented and fit well into a group," Hedlund explains. "They grow up with a good work mentality and are real team players, which is exactly what we need as a modest organization." However, the coach emphasizes that this does not only apply to "his" Scandinavians. "The other members of our club are also phenomenal guys."
The word "phenomenal" comes up a few times with Stefan Hedlund. But he doesn't want to get carried away just yet. "It's still too early to say where we are." But: "We're certainly a tough opponent for everyone. The players work hard, they stick together and I like the attitude of my team. There's a lot of character in it, maybe that's the biggest difference compared to last year."
Rewarded once again with a win
But, the coach adds. "We've now lost three times in a row, everything is far from perfect." He would like his players to be rewarded for their work with a win again instead of just a point.
The next opportunity comes on Friday at home against the SCL Tigers. A point there would certainly not be viewed as positively as away in Davos or Zurich. Although the Langnau team is still unbeaten at home, they have yet to pick up a point away from home and have only scored three goals.
