Photo @ Patric Gill / CIRTAP.se

Brynäs and Luleå opened the SDHL semi-finals with wins. It could be another collision course for a finals match up between the powerhouse teams. Here's a look at the opening games of the SDHL semi-finals.

Frölunda 0 - Brynäs 1 (Brynäs leads semi-final series 1-0)

Brynäs delivered their most complete game of the post season to shock heavyweights Frölunda on Friday night in Göteborg. Goaltender Ena Nystrøm radiated confidence as she delivered a 40 save shutout in Game 1 of the best of five semifinal.  Brynäs’ defenders blocked shots, controlled Frölunda sticks and backchecked like their hair was on fire. 

Frölunda’s inability to score was not for lack of trying. Indeed, FHC’s top forward line of Andrea Dalen, Hanna Olsson and Michelle Karvinen pumped a combined 19 shots on the Brynäs net, but could not find twine. Unsuccessful on a pair of first period breakaways, Frölunda earned perhaps their best chance of the game in the second period when Karvinen danced alone into the slot and dished a no-look pass to Dalen on the right post. Dalen’s off-balance shot careened off the goal post before being smothered by Nystrøm and teammate Oona Koukkula. 

On the other end of the rink, FHC goaltender Steph Neatby was no slouch either, as she shut down a series of high quality chances.  Brynäs’ lone goal, the eventual game-winner, came on a power play early in the third period, when Sara Cajanova’s shot through traffic ricocheted off a Frölunda defender to beat Neatby and silence the crowd of thousands in attendance.  FHC pushed for the equaliser, and pumped 18 third period shots on Nystrøm, but went home disappointed and  empty handed.  The buzzer went and Brynäs won a nail biter, 1-0. Neatby stopped 28 of 29 in the loss. Hanna Thuvik’s assist on Cajanova’s goal was her seventh point in six playoff games this season.  BIF defender Taylor Baker registered six shots and made a series of strong defensive plays in the slot to help preserve the goose egg.

Game 2 is slated for Sunday at noon local time.

Luleå 3 - SDE 2 (Luleå leads semi-final series 1-0)

Despite being assessed all of the game’s 11 minutes in penalties, Luleå got out to a three-goal lead and held on to register the win in Game 1 of this semi final series.  Savannah Norcross opened the scoring for LHF when she was sprung on a first period shorthanded breakaway and beat SDE keeper Kassidy Sauvé five hole.  SDE pushed back and registered some quality chances, but could not solve goaltender Sara Grahn.  Some slick puck possession saw Luleå score twice more in the second frame.  First, Akane Shiga buried a goal mouth rebound to make it 2-0 after a clever board pass by veteran defender Johanna Fällman. Minutes later, Luleå added another when Jaycee Magwood tipped a Nadia Mattivi point shot to increase the lead to three.  Luleå’s long offensive zone possessions often looked like power plays, as they used deception and skill to move the puck over, around and through their opponents’ defense.

SDE, playing their sixth game in 10 days, continued to display the chippy, tenacious hockey that carried them to victory in the first round against MoDo.  Despite being down by a treble, they pushed back in the third.  Emily Nix, unmistakable in her white cage, grabbed a neutral zone turnover and powered over the blue line. She used a retreating defender as a screen and snapped the puck home to reduce Luleå’s lead to two.  With less than a minute remaining in the game, and Sauvé on the bench for an extra attacker, Nix struck again when she completed a pretty give-and-go with Michelle Löwenhielm.  Nix, amazingly, had another prime chance seconds later when she redirected a point shot, but Grahn calmly made the save to secure the victory for Luleå. 

Game 2 is Sunday at 12:00 in Luleå.