Bern vs St. Gallen

The 50th meeting between the two sides — Bern now lead the all-time series 28 wins to 19 (with 3 draws) — never quite went the home side's way. St. Gallen, who finished 8th last season, controlled the tempo from the first whistle. Bern's new-look squad, featuring six summer arrivals including goalkeeper Flavio Wick (from Horneo EON Alicante) and backcourt veteran Ron Delhees (from Wacker Thun), struggled to find cohesion against a well-drilled St. Otmar defence.

The visitors built a multi-goal cushion in the first half and never allowed Bern to close within striking distance in the second. St. Gallen's attack, led by Swedish backcourt man Carl Löfström — the team's top scorer last season with 68 goals — proved too efficient for Bern to contain over 60 minutes.

St. Gallen's sustained run midway through the first half, stretching a slender lead to a four- or five-goal advantage, forced Bern into chasing the game earlier than head coach David Staudenmann would have wanted. Bern's attempts to press higher in the second half left gaps that St. Otmar exploited on the fast break, keeping the scoreboard pressure constant. Bern never got closer than three or four goals in the second period.

Carl Löfström (St. Gallen) — The Swedish backcourt player was the focal point of St. Gallen's attack, imposing his physicality and shot accuracy throughout. His 68-goal season last term suggests he is picking up where he left off.

St. Gallen's collective defence — No single Bern attacker was allowed to dominate. Despite introducing multiple new offensive weapons in the off-season, Bern managed 30 goals but never looked like reaching the 34 required to challenge.

Flavio Wick (Bern) — The new Bern goalkeeper, arriving from Spain via Wacker Thun, faced a heavy volume of shots. He made several saves but was ultimately beaten 34 times by a well-balanced St. Gallen attack.

Ron Delhees (Bern) — Making his Bern debut after crossing from Wacker Thun, Delhees provided experience in the right backcourt but could not single-handedly close the gap.

The 64 total goals (30–34) are slightly above the 57.8 average these two sides have produced across 50 meetings since 2011 — a reflection of Bern's defensive struggles in Round 1 rather than an especially high-paced shootout. St. Gallen's ability to keep Bern at arm's length throughout, despite playing away, points to a well-prepared unit under head coach Michael Suter. Bern's new-look roster, featuring as many as six summer arrivals per the club's match-day programme, will need time to develop chemistry.

This was Round 1 of the 2026/27 NLA regular season. St. Gallen join a group of teams with early momentum — fellow Round 1 winners HSC Suhr Aarau (30–17) and GC Amicitia Zürich (36–28) also started with victories. Bern sit among the early losers but with 26 remaining league fixtures to correct course.

Next up for Bern: Away at HC Kriens-Luzern (date TBC, Round 2 of NLA).

Next up for St. Gallen: Home against HC Kriens-Luzern on 30 August 2026, per the QHL schedule.

St. Gallen were sharper, better organised, and deserved the two points. Bern's summer rebuild will take time to gel, and this was always going to be a tricky opener against a St. Otmar side with continuity on their side. The visitors laid down an early marker that they intend to improve on last season's 8th-place finish.