Belfast Giants take their Champions Hockey League campaign on the road this Friday evening, when they face Swiss side Lausanne HC at the Vaudoise Aréna.
The Giants head on the road after an overtime defeat to KalPa Kuopio at the SSE Arena, followed 48 hours later by a 7-4 loss against Ilves Tampere.
Now, attention turns to Switzerland. Friday’s meeting with Lausanne marks the Giants’ first CHL away fixture of the season and will be followed by a trip to EV Zug on Sunday. Lausanne are one of Swiss hockey’s traditional heavyweights and are coming off an impressive 2024/25 domestic campaign that saw them top the Swiss National League regular season standings ahead of rivals SC Bern and ZSC Lions. Their home, the modern Vaudoise Aréna in Lausanne, is an excellent venue with capacity in the 10,000 region.
“Lausanne are a skilled and fast team with a lot of offensive firepower,” commented Head Coach Adam Keefe. “They play with confidence at home and have strong goaltending to back it up.”
Lausanne endured a difficult start to their CHL schedule, falling 4-1 in Rauma against Lukko before going down 5–2 against Swedish giants Frölunda Gothenburg. Those results leave Lausanne a point behind the Giants in the overall table, 22nd of 24 teams are two games.
“We already know that the Belfast team will be travelling to Lausanne with a large number of supporters behind them,” said Head Coach Geoff Ward. “These teams are made for moments like these. It will be important for us to approach this game in the same way we would against any other team.”
Photo: William Cherry/Presseye
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