On September 18, 2026, National League ice hockey action in Switzerland delivered high drama as Fribourg narrowly held off Lausanne for a victory following a pre-match championship banner-raising ceremony, while Genève suffered a dramatic 4-3 shootout defeat against Ajoie, according to match reports.
Fribourg’s game at the local arena featured a pre-match ceremony where Sprunger hoisted the 2026 championship banner, as reported by freshfocus photographer Estelle Vagne. Both Fribourg and Lausanne entered the contest carrying the weight of opening-night losses on the preceding Tuesday, leading to a nervy start on the ice.
Fribourg Slips Past Lausanne Amid Late-Game Chaos
Lausanne stunned the home crowd at the 10-minute mark when Oksanen opened the scoring. Fribourg responded quickly when Dorthe equalized at the 14-minute mark. A botched end to the first period by Lausanne—resulting in a too-many-men penalty—allowed Fribourg to seize momentum at the start of the second frame. Despite a scoreless middle period that included Lausanne successfully killing off two penalties, including a high-sticking infraction by Heldner against Marchon that left Marchon injured, the game remained tight.
Lausanne drew level early in the third period when Sansonnens accidentally scored his first National League goal. The match boiled over moments later when Rathgeb was ejected from the ice following an explosive outburst. The ensuing action reenergized the arena, allowing Seiler to convert a feed from Streule to put Fribourg ahead, before Walser secured the win with an empty-net goal.
Ajoie Stuns Geneva in Shootout Thriller
In the evening’s other all-Romandie clash, Genève hosted Ajoie at the Vernets as statistical favorites, but stumbled early. Ajoie capitalized on defensive lapses, taking the lead through a breakaway goal by Tanus before Carr doubled the advantage during a power play.
Ajoie extended its lead to 3-0 early the second period when Robin struck just two minutes in, pushing Ajoie to third in the standings while sinking Geneva to the bottom of the table. A subsequent penalty against Honka kept the hosts under pressure. However, a third-period comeback orchestrated by Puljujarvi changed the complexion of the game. Puljujarvi netted his first goal within the opening five minutes of the frame, and Karrer narrowed the deficit further just over a minute later. Wearing his top scorer helmet, Puljujarvi capitalized on a penalty against Sopa to tie the game 3-3.
Following a scoreless overtime period, Keller stood tall in the shootout for Ajoie, while Carr scored past Mayer to seal the 4-3 victory and compound Geneva’s difficult start to the season.
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