Kuoppala's Pair, Skodová's Flair Carry Skellefteå to Playoffs

Scrappy SDHL newcomers Skellefteå secured a playoff spot with a win over second place MoDo. Here's a look at all of Friday's SDHL action.

Skellefteå hit a major milestone in their first season in the SDHL after earning promotion from the NDHL last year. The team beat second place MoDo this week to secure a playoff spot, meaning Skellefteå will avoid the relegation round this year. HV71 and Leksands will face relegation while Skellefteå will head to the postseason.

Here's a look at all of Friday's SDHL action.

Ida Kuoppala tallied twice, a snipe and an empty-netter, as upstarts Skellefteå beat MoDo 4-1 in Örnsköldsvik. Skellefteå goalie Blanka Skodová was on fire, stopping 35 of 36 shots she faced overall, and 19 of 20 in the second period alone. At the other end of the rink, MoDo keeper Andrea Brändli had a rare off night and gave up four goals, including a couple of bad bounces, on only 19 shots. Skellefteå has now secured both a spot in the SDHL playoffs and the guarantee that they will return to the top league next season. Leksand and HV71, therefore, will compete in the dreaded Relegation Round.

Brynäs struck first but Luleå struck most often, en route to a 5-1 victory on Friday evening in Gävle. Jaycee Magwood scored twice, including a stone cold breakaway conversion in the second period. The University of Manitoba (USports) grad was a thorn in Brynäs’s side all night, hacking away at rebounds and putting on a masterclass of screening in front of goaltender Ena Nystrøm. Savannah Norcross notched a goal and two assists for Luleå, and now boasts 18 points in her 12 career SDHL games. Frida Axell stopped 23 of 24 shots she faced for her 16th win in 16 starts this season. Axell has conceded only 11 goals in that span and boasts a sterling 0.69 GAA. Earlier this month, Luleå informed the young goaltender that she would not be offered a contract next season. Her numbers, poise and consistency will certainly make her a hot commodity in the coming months.

Frölunda goalie Steph Neatby stopped 24 of 25 shots and registered an assist in Frölunda’s handling of HV71 in Jönköping. Frölunda sniper opened the scoring early with her 24th goal of the season. Six minutes later, teammate Andrea Dalen doubled the visitors’ lead with a power play marker. The goal was Dalen’s fifth in her last four games. Frölunda tallied again before HV finally got on the board in the third period when Rachel Weiss scored to make it a 3-1 game. That was as close as the home team would get. With the loss and Skellefteå’s win earlier in the evening, HV71 is certain to compete in the Relegation Round with Leksand and two NDHL qualifiers at season’s end. The win was Frölunda’s fourth straight.

Swedish national team netminder Ida Boman proved the difference maker in a chippy Stockholm derby that ended 1-0 in Djurgården’s favor. Boman, who earlier this week was named to the Swedish squad set to compete in the final Olympic qualifying tournament in February, stopped all 27 SDE shots sent her way. DIF’s Tereza Plosová, who will begin her freshman year at the University of Minnesota in September, scored the game’s lone goal halfway through the first period. SDE pressed for the equaliser, and the teams exchanged a series of minor penalties, but Plosová’s goal, her 14th of the season, held up as the winner. SDE has now dropped four straight games, while Boman and DIF have registered two straight shutout wins.

Leksand worked hard. They fell behind twice, and they equalised twice. When they fell behind a third time, their luck ran out. Linköping handed the SDHL bottom-feeders their fifteenth straight loss on the strength of goals from speedy Lova Blom, gritty Naomi Rogge, and towering Sara Hjalmarsson. Leksand had a handful of chances to win the game in the third period, but were denied time and again by the heroics of LHC backup goalie Jorinde Heller who made 15 saves in the final frame alone.