Leader of the National League – Lugano’s start to the season raises high hopes – Sport

Thanks to four wins in five games, the Ticino team leads the National League table. It is the best start to the season in seven years.

HC Lugano’s great successes date back many years. The “Bianconeri” were crowned champions for the last time in 2006. Since then, with two exceptions, the playoffs have always been over. The closest the HCL came to winning the title was in 2016 and 2018, when their dream of winning the cup only ended in the final. SC Bern and the ZSC Lions emerged as champions at that time.

Even better start to the season than 2017

In the current, still young season, at least the start was promising. After the 2:3 opening defeat at EV Zug, Luganesi strung together four wins after 60 minutes. With one game less, they lead the table ahead of the Rapperswil-Jona Lakers and ZSC Lions, who have the same points.

The last time the “Tifosi” were able to celebrate such a good start in Lugano was in the 2017/18 season. At that time there were five games and four wins, one of which came in a penalty shootout. As a result, the team finished the qualification in 4th place and was finally stopped by ZSC in the playoff final.

Gianinazzi’s work is bearing fruit

The most recent appearances in the 2024/25 championship also raise hope that it could once again be a successful season for Lugano after a long interruption. But it’s not just the parallels to the 2017/18 season that should provide confidence.

The work of coach Luca Gianinazzi, who is in his third season with the gang, seems to be slowly but surely leading to conscientious consistency. The only 31-year-old and therefore the youngest coach in the National League benefits from the fact that President Vicky Mantegazza has placed his long-term trust in him.

Already eleven goalscorers

In addition, Luganesi are doing well, especially on offense. They are the best team in the league with four goals per game. The last time they achieved the same average at the start of the season was in 2017.

However, there is no Lugano player in the top 15 of the scorers list. Goal production is spread across many shoulders. So far, eleven players have been able to celebrate at least one. The big exception is Luca Fazzini, who is third in the league with four goals in this division.

But it is also clear that Lugano’s good run is only a snapshot. For the fans, who have rarely been spoiled with success in the recent past, the strong start to the season is at least a promising sign.

It remains to be seen how the Ticino team will fare without their captain in the next few weeks and months. Calvin Thürkauf suffered a ligament injury in the game against Bern last week and will be out for a long time. The 27-year-old was clearly the best Swiss actor at Lugano last season.