Frölunda HC were pushed against the wall, 1-3 in matches in the semi-final series against Skellefteå AIK, and whipped to win semi-final 5 away from home so that the season wouldn’t be over – and they got an almost flawless full hit to start the match.
Isac Heens was last in the passing line where a fine attack set up the back for a great position and the 24-year-old spot-kicked his first playoff goal in his career behind Linus Söderström, barely twelve minutes into the match.
– That puck was where it was supposed to be, really nice to be able to splash it in, it came at the right time, said the unaccustomed goalscorer in TV4.
A player who is anything but the above scorer in these playoffs is Jere Innala, who late in the opening act twisted the puck in the attack zone, took it into the slot and scored 2-0 behind Söderström with his ninth goal in the playoffs – that’s only three Frölunda players who scored more goals in one and the same playoff (Niklas Andersson – 10 in 2004/05, Artturi Lehkonen – 11 in 2015/16 and Daniel Alfredsson – 12 in 2004/05).
Frölunda did most of the right things for long periods of this evening and in time had also found an extra dimension in the defensive game, something that made it extremely difficult for Skellefteå to create a lot of trouble against Lars Johansson. Instead, it was Frölunda who lined up one big scoring chance after another in the middle half and finally David Edstrom took advantage of a two-on-one situation by sending in a distinct direct shot for a 3-0 lead that stood the middle half – then it became very difficult for Frölunda.
Saved bottom pacifier
The start of the third period could not have been better for the home team, because barely three minutes in Simon Robertsson was completely forgotten in the castle and raked in a rebound to make it 1-3 and gave a huge injection of energy for both the home team and the crowd. Add to that a couple of Frölunda expulsions and Skellefteå had its way into the match open. Dylan Sikura raked in a direct shot in the aftermath of a numerical advantage for 2-3 with barely half of the third period remaining and when the next white clad incurred a ejection a few minutes later, the pickup was complete. A somewhat unlucky bounce blocked most of Frölunda’s defense and Filip Sandberg was able to equalize on a volley with only four minutes remaining in the third period. A clear Skellefteå dominance in the third period ultimately meant 3-3 on the board and they forced an extra time for the second game in a row.
Once in extra time, it looked pretty tough for Frölunda for a long time, who were thoroughly pressed in their own zone by a Skellefteå team that put pucks in towards the goal as soon as the situation arose. But a resolute defensive game and a stable Lars Johansson withstood the worst onslaughts and instead Frölunda was able to turn the game around, got some time in the attack zone and finally Linus Högberg also snapped the puck in behind an obscured Söderström and decided the game in Frölunda’s favor, 4-3 . The result means that Frölunda forces a sixth match to be played in Scandinavium on Tuesday, at 19:30.
– An incredible relief to see that puck slip in, especially after how we collapsed in the third, commented match winner Linus Högberg on TV4 after the final whistle.
– They pushed quite a lot in extra time as well, but I think we held out in a fairly stable way and were able to grow into it a bit at the front end. Glad we got to put it there! Can’t wait for Tuesday, we haven’t given up and are looking forward to meeting our supporters at home, Linus concluded.
The tickets for Tuesday’s semi-final 6:7 will be released on Monday (15 April) at 10.00. During the Sunday evening there is a pre-sale for you who are members, season ticket holders, have had hockey booklets or are members of Klubb ’84 (information by email). You can find tickets via this link.
Upcoming men’s matches
Shem 6:7 | 2024.04.16, 19:30 | Frölunda HC – Skellefteå AIK (Tickets released Mon 15 April at 10:00)
Matchstatistic | Shemi 5:7
Skellefteå AIK – Frölunda HC 3-4 OT (0-2, 0-1, 3-0, 0-1)
Skellefteå leads with 3-2 in matches
Shots: 32-25 (6-10, 8-7, 12-3, 7-5)
PIM: 24-8 (2-0, 2-4, 0-4, 20-0)
Spectators:-
Period 1
0-1 (11:45) | Isac Heens (Malte Strömwall, Mikael Ruohomaa)
0-2 (18:56) | Jere Innala (without assist)
Period 2
0-3 (30:59) | David Edstrom (Your Take, Jayden Half Watches)
Period 3
1-3 (42:40) | Simon Robertsson (Arvid Lundberg, Elias Salomonsson)
2-3 (50:49) | Dylan Sikura (Linus Lindström, Max Lindholm)
3-3 (56:00) | Filip Sandberg (Oscar Lindberg, Axel Sandin Pellikka) PP1
Extension
3-4 (70:33) | Linus Högberg (Nicklas Lasu, Albin Sunin)
This is how Frölunda put it:
Max Friberg – Mikael Ruohomaa – Malte Strömwall
Isac Born – Nicklas Lasu – Linus Nässén
Jere Innala – David Edström – Jayden Halbgewachs
Erik Thorell – Noah Hasa – Erik Borg
Carl Klingberg
Henrik Tömmernes – Pontus Johansson
Isaac Heens – Christian Folin
Linus Högberg – Albin Sundin
Kristian Kostadinski
Lars Johansson
(Frans Tuohimaa)