The most anticipated time of the summer is fast approaching forHockey Club Lugano.
On Saturday, August 27, fans will be able to experience at Cornèr Arena the excitement of the traditional team presentation on the eve of the new championship, which, on this special occasion, will join that of the retirement of jersey number 38 worn by Raffaele Sannitz with passion and total identification with the colors bianconeri for twenty-one seasons.
Starting at 3:30 p.m., on the lawn near the Yellow Cottage, there will be entertainment for children and families with mescita and ice cream and the in-person presence of Raffaele Sannitz, available for autographs and selfies. The nearby Shop'41 will be open from 3:30 p.m.
At 5 p.m., the Chris McSorley-coached team will take the ice at Cornèr Arena to face the Austrians of HC Tiroler Wasserkraft Innsbruck, who are participating in the ICE Hockey League, known as EBEL until 2020. The opening engagement of the game will be celebrated by Raffaele Sannitz himself, who is the second most played player in his career with the HCL (889 league appearances) behind only Julien Vauclair.
Admission to the game requires presentation of the 2022/23 season pass recently sent to season ticket holders or a single ticket that can be obtained for free online at hclugano.info/tickets starting today, Friday, Aug. 19 at 12 p.m., or directly at the Cornèr Arena ticket counters. Subscriptions for the new season will also be available at the Info Point on Via Chiosso.
The gates of the Reseghina will open around 6:45 p.m., and from then on, everyone can enjoy the succulent barbecue prepared by DNA Bianconero & Events.
The official number 38 retirement ceremony is scheduled for around 8 p.m. when the eighth retired jersey in the history ofHockey Club Lugano will be raised to the sky on the Reseghina stage after those of Alfio Molina (no. 1), Sandro Bertaggia (no. 2), Pat Schafhauser (no. 4), Andy Näser (no. 44), Petteri Nummelin (no. 33), Flavien Conne (no. 40) and Steve Hirschi (no. 8).
At around 9 p.m., members of the first team roster will be called to the stage to gather an ovation from the crowd and thus make a full house ahead of the new season. Newcomers Mikko Koskinen, Oliwer Kaski, Calle Andersson, Markus Granlund, Kris Bennett, Marco Müller, Jeremi Gerber, and Stephane Patry will be introduced to the audience with some fun questions.
The party will continue with music until 1 o'clock.