Rapperswil-Jona Lakers took on Nürnberg Ice Tigers in a club friendly on 30 August 2026, running out 7:4 winners in a match that showed plenty of attack but not much defence. The hosts had been through a patchy pre-season already, with that comfortable 7:2 win over České Budějovice on 28 August standing out against the heavier defeats to Zug and Kloten. Nürnberg arrived with mixed recent results, including a narrow 4:3 victory over Frankfurt Lions and a heavier 1:4 loss to Zug the day before.
And here's the thing about matches like this — when both sides play without much at stake, the game tends to open up. Eleven goals in a friendly doesn't tell you everything about quality, but it does suggest players were looking to find their rhythm. By then you're not watching for tactical precision so much as commitment, and both teams showed plenty of that.
What struck me watching was how the hosts built on that momentum from their win over České Budějovice. They'd been outscored 9:2 in their two previous friendlies against Zug and Kloten, so a seven-goal performance felt like a statement of intent. To be fair, Nürnberg weren't exactly sitting pretty either — two losses in their last three had dragged their form down.
The final tally puts Rapperswil-Jona in a better position heading into whatever season lies ahead. Eight goals scored and four conceded gives them something to work with, even if friendlies don't count for anything in the table. The gap between this result and their earlier 1:8 defeat to Zug tells you where they want to be.