First round in the Southern Conference quarterfinals was completed on Wednesday evening. Home teams were successful in all four matches securing their first wins in the 2027 Champions Cup edition. Second round awaits next week on Wednesday and Thursday.
Zug United vs Bulldogs Brno
In a historic debut for Brno, the team made their first-ever Champions Cup appearance in a tightly contested encounter that ultimately ended in a 3-2 defeat. Brno enjoyed a dream start when Pavlina Bacova opened the scoring at 05:06, but the opposition responded through Martina Repkova at 12:56. Barbora Jaskova found the net at 14:56 for Brno to take a narrow lead into the second interval.
Home team Zug displayed impressive resilience throughout the match, with captain Isabelle Gerig levelling the scores at 2-2 via a penalty shot at 37:04. The game remained a tense, tactical battle until the 43:20 mark, when Gerig struck again—this time assisted by Ediz—to edge the opposition back in front.
Despite a late opportunity to force an equaliser following a two-minute penalty for Celine Stettler and a desperate final timeout, Brno were unable to breach the defence again. While the result was not the fairytale start they had hoped for, the debutants proved they are more than capable of competing at this level.
Tatran Stresovice vs Wizards Bern Burgdorf
In a high-scoring thriller, Tatran secured a 5-4 victory over Champions Cup debutants Wizards Bern. The opening period was a frantic affair, with the Swiss side taking an early lead through Nadia Cattaneo, only for Tatran to respond with two quick goals from Michaela Mechlova. The Wizards fought back immediately, with Annika Morf and Dana Misteli finding the net to reclaim the lead before the first break.
Tatran’s Denisa Vyborna levelled the scores at 3-3 in the second period. Wizards regained the lead at 28:59 through Tanja Kyburz, but the experienced Tatran side refused to back down, with Monika Blahova equalising once more at 37:16. The game remained on a knife-edge as both sides traded defensive blows and scoring opportunities.
The decisive moment arrived in the final period when Michaela Mechlova completed her hat-trick, converting a power-play goal at 42:18 to put Tatran 5-4 ahead. Despite a late timeout and a desperate push from the Wizards, Tatran’s defence held firm to secure a hard-fought win in front of their home crowd.
Floorball Thurgau vs Florbal MB
In a pulsating Champions Cup clash, debutants Floorball Thurgau marked their home arrival in spectacular fashion, defeating Florbal MB 6-4 in front of a packed arena of 734 passionate spectators. The visitors drew first blood through Patrik Suchanek, but Thurgau quickly found their rhythm, with Niklas Graf and Elia Seiler turning the game on its head to give the hosts a 2-1 lead by the first interval.
The second period proved to be a tactical arm-wrestle as Florbal MB fought back to edge ahead 3-2 thanks to goals from Adam Delong and Jakub Varecha. However, the momentum shifted back to the hosts in the final period. Pablo Mariotti levelled the scores at 3-3 before Aaro Helin and Elia Seiler struck in quick succession to put Thurgau 5-3 in front.
Florbal MB refused to surrender, pulling one back through Jakub Varecha at 43:18 to set up a tense finale. Despite the visitors’ late pressure, Thurgau’s defence held firm, and Elia Seiler sealed a memorable victory with an empty-net goal in the dying seconds. It was a dream start for the debutants, who thrived under the pressure of a loud home crowd.
Tatran Stresovice vs HC Rychenberg Winterthur
It was a day to remember for Tatran Stresovice, as the club celebrated a unique double-header of 5-4 home victories across both their men’s and women’s sides. In the men’s clash against HC Rychenberg Winterthur, the hosts were forced to show immense character after falling behind early, with Albert Koskinen and Julian Egli putting the visitors 2-0 up within the first seven minutes. Tatran clawed their way back through Milan Melis and Patrik Sebek to level the scores at 2-2 before the first break.
The second period saw the intensity ramp up as Marek Benes edged Tatran ahead, only for Julian Egli to strike his second of the night to make it 3-3. The game remained deadlocked until the final frame, where the power play proved decisive; Ondrej Nemecek capitalised on a man advantage to restore the lead, and Patrik Sebek added his second of the match to extend the advantage to 5-3.
Despite a late goal from Oskar Weissbach and a desperate timeout from the visitors, Tatran’s defence held firm to secure a dramatic 5-4 win. The result mirrored the success of the women’s team earlier that day, capping off a perfect afternoon for the club and delighting the home supporters who witnessed two thrilling one-goal victories.
2nd Round Matches (All matches show in CET time)
Men – HC Rychenberg Winterthur v Tatran Stresovice – AXA Arena, Winterthur – 30.09. 19:00
Men – Florbal MB v Floorball Thurgau – Amix Arena, Mlada Boleslav – 1.10. 18:30
Women – Bulldogs Brno v Zug United – Starez Arena Vodova, Brno – 1.10. 19:00
Women – Wizards Bern Burgdorf v Tatran Stresovice – UNIHOC Arena Biglen, Bern – 1.10. 19:30