Luleå took over sole possession of first in the SDHL with a shutout win, and MoDo survived a shootout against Frölunda. Here's a look at Friday's SDHL action.
Luleå took over sole possession of first in the SDHL with a shutout win, and MoDo survived a shootout against Frölunda. Here's a look at Friday's SDHL action.
Luleå took over sole possession of first in the SDHL with a shutout win, and MoDo survived a shootout against Frölunda. Here's a look at Friday's SDHL action.
MoDo 4 - Frölunda 3 SO
After a scoreless first period where both teams seemed to be feeling each other out, MoDo took a 2-0 lead early in the second on goals from Ella Albinsson and Lovisa Engström. The goals did not seem to concern Frölunda much, as they played out the period somewhat listlessly, taking and killing a careless Too Many Players penalty. In a pattern that is becoming familiar, Frölunda awoke in the third, when Emilia Vesa notched her fourth of the season to make the score 2-1. MoDo would counter a minute later when a Darcie Lappan marker restored the team’s two goal lead. Frölunda, however, was not done: first came a Sofie Lundin goal with four minutes remaining, and then, seemingly inevitably, league-leading scorer Elisa Holopainen ripped one from the top of the circles to tie the game at 3. Overtime solved nothing, and the game went to a shootout. The goaltenders, MoDo’s Andrea Brändli and Frölunda’s Stephanie Neatby, were perfect through three rounds, denying all comers. In the fourth, it was MoDo forward Adéla Šapovalivová who sealed the victory, patiently outwaiting Neatby before snapping home the winner.
Brynäs 5 - HV71 4:
In a back-and-forth affair on Friday evening in Gävle, Brynäs’ power play finally came to life and scored twice in the first period. HV, a team that has shown a lot of fight of late, pushed back and tied the game at two apiece on goals from ___ and ____. Brynäs, shocked back to life, quickly scored three in succession, including a dandy of a backhander by Jeninna Nylund. Again, HV responded, when ______ threw a puck on net from the blue line and was somewhat surprised to see it go in. The third period opened with a pair of HV71 power plays, both of which proved fruitless. Burgeoning HV71 stars Kennedy Bobyck and Julia Nearis did what has quickly become expected of them, and scored another, making it a one-goal game. HV eventually pulled their goalie for an extra attacker, but unfortunately added two attackers to the play and were penalized for too many players on the ice. That was as close as they would get to a comeback, as Brynäs won 5-4.
Luleå 2 - Linköping 0:
Luleå opened the scoring only one minute into the game, when Linnea Johansson tallied her fifth of the season on assists from Viivi Vainikka and Erica Rieder. Luleå did not take their foot off the gas, dominating possession and scoring chances in the first period, so much so that Linköping took a timeout after only five minutes had been played. In the second period, Luleå peppered Linköping keeper Ebba Svensson Träff with 17 shots, but came up empty and the score remained 1-0. Early in the third, Luleå veteran Jenni Hiirikoski put the game out of reach when she scored to make it 2-0. Svensson Träff’s valiant effort was for naught, as her team was outshot 45-14 and lost the game. With the win, Luleå takes sole possession of first place in the standings, leapfrogging Frölunda who has a game in hand.
Skellefteå 2 - Djurgården 3:
This was a game with important implications for both teams. Skellefteå must win its games against the lower-ranked teams in the league if it is to avoid the Relegation Round. Djurgården, meanwhile, was looking to build on recent progress and climb out of the league’s basement. DIF struck first when Sara Säkkinen scored her first of the season on a feed from Alva Hellqvist. In the second period, Skellefteå’s Nikita Bergman equalised, but Djurgården retook the lead minutes later on Isabelle Leijonhielm’s third of the year. The third period was a chippy affair, as each team fought hard for the win. DIF’s Tereza Pistekova scored to make it 3-1, but there was ample time left on the clock for a Skellefteå comeback, and Sini Karjalainen gave her team hope when she potted one with eight minutes remaining to make it a one-goal game. Skellefteå fought hard and pulled goaltender Camryn Drever for the extra attacker, but DIF buckled down and gutted out the victory, eventually winning 3-2. With the win, Djurgården jumps up to seventh place in the standings, while Skellefteå drops to ninth. Both teams are back in action on Sunday.