Losers of 18 straight SDHL games to close out the season, Leksand was often their own worst enemy. The team possesses an excellent goaltender, but must shore up their defense to reduce high quality shots against.  Too often this season, opposing players have been left wide open in the slot while defenders float around, out of position and oblivious.  Offensively, Leksand must simply find a way to score.  Only one Leksander hit the ten goal plateau this season, and not a single player registered more than 12 points.  The team was shut out 15 times, or 42% of all games played. They will need to get tougher, shoot more, create traffic and score goals with grit and tenacity if they are to have any chance of beating Färjestad to stay up in the SDHL.

Färjestad is a team built to win promotion.  The team from Karlstad has not lost in 32 straight games this season, and boasts some high end veterans and feisty youngsters with no shortage of offensive flair who could topple woeful Leksand to claim their spot in Sweden’s best league. 

Emma Polusny (G): Polusny deserved better this season.  The American and former St.Cloud State captain often stood on her head in this, her third season in Leksand.  While her goals against average remained essentially the same as last season at 2.65, her save percentage of .925 was a marked improvement from her previous campaign’s .903.  That she allowed only 57 goals in 22 starts for the league’s most porous defense is a testament to her consistency and steadfastness.  Perhaps, with some goal support, any goal support, she can lead Leksand back to the SDHL in 2025-26.

Saga Tynell Nissas (C):  While it is always nice to be crowned a team’s top scorer, 12 points in 36 games isn’t much to crow about.  Tynell Nissas has a shot that can be extremely effective if she gets an opportunity to take it.  Despite her small frame, she has displayed a willingness to hit and take abuse in the slot in an effort to score.  More of her teammates should follow suit.

Hilda Ljungberg (D): The steady 19-year-old defender came over from Brynäs this season in the hopes of earning a bigger role and more responsibility.  Her ten points (6g, 4a) doubled her career best, and she saw ice in all situations.  It will be interesting to see what she can accomplish against an NDHL opponent, where she might have more time and space with the puck.

Kiira Yrjänen (F): Yrjänen started the season strong with a pair of goals against SDE back in September, and showed flashes of potential throughout the campaign, but never seemed content to use her speed to create offense.  She ended the year with only 8 points (4g, 4a) in 36 games. Yrjänen is capable of more. She has produced at the international level with Finland’s senior national team, and tallied 125 points in 112 Auroraliiga (Finland) games over five seasons. She has the ability, but she needs to get meaner and more determined.

Lillian George (F): The 24-year-old from Ontario was an offensive force to be reckoned with during her time at the University of New Brunswick (USports). She became the program’s all-time leading scorer in 2023, and notched 36 points in 28 games during her senior season.  She earned her SDHL roster spot, but has yet to find her offensive stride in Sweden.  George was able to take advantage of her speed to drive the net, and her chippiness in the slot, to rack up points at UNB.  If she can get to the same spots for Leksand, she could do some damage. 

Amanda Rampado (G): Rampado played her NCAA hockey at RPI, a program not known for its defense in recent years.  In her three seasons as the school’s starter, she faced an average of 936 shots in 32 games, or 29.3 shots per game.  She is a goalie that thrives on busy nights, as evidenced by her NCAA career .925 save percentage.  Rampado has been an awful lot less busy for Färjestad, which has dominated opponents all season long.  Indeed, she has only faced 286 shots in 18 Swedish games this year.  Will she shine if tested more often? Leksand will need to shoot to find out.

Emma Murén (F): A veteran of eight SDHL seasons, Murén has been toying with the NDHL since arriving in Färjestad in 2022.  She has tallied more than 50 points in each of her three seasons in the second-tier league, and looks poised to lead Färjestad back to the top.  

Alli Borrow (F):  Borrow played her college hockey at the University of Calgary (USports) before finding her way to Sweden and Färjestad in 2023.  Her 51 points in 27 games this season have helped the team create scoring depth — they have three lines that can be relied upon to produce. 

Lene Tendenes (D): The Norwegian is an offensive talent. Using the vision and deception honed during eight SDHL seasons with Linköping, she has scored at a career-best pace this year, and tallied 46 points (14g, 32a) in 26 games.  Tendenes has a heavy shot, but it is her ability to place that shot, or fire off a no-look pass, that makes her so dangerous.  

Game 1 of the Best of 3 series begins tonight at 7pm local time.