Underdog Skellefteå Knocks Off League Number Two MoDo

The SDHL season continued this weekend with an impressive upset by Skellefteå, continued success from Luleå, and an SDE team that continues to get stronger.

Due to a scheduling abnormality, both teams were back on the ice fewer than 24 hours after their previous games the night before. Leksand dropped a 1-0 decision to Linköping on Friday, while Djurgården was beaten 3-1 by a fired up SDE. Each came into Saturday’s tilt hoping to turn their fortunes around. A scoreless and relatively even first period led to a second frame dominated by Djurgården. DIF opened the scoring less than two minutes in, when Alice Östensson finally lifted the puck over Leksand keeper Emma Polusny after a wild goalmouth scramble. Only minutes later, DIF added another, when their Czechout Line (Hana Haasová, Tereza Pisteková and Tereza Plosová) put together a nice play for a Plosová marker. DIF outshot their opponents 18-4 in the period, but at least Leksand finally, mercifully, scored a goal — their first in over 13 periods of play. Agata Sarnovska’s tally, a shot from the blue line through traffic, brought her team within one heading into the third period. Rather than building on their modest momentum, Leksand had a poor start again in the final frame, and DIF made them pay. Captain Brette Pettet scored her tenth of the season less than a minute into the period, and Alice Östensson added her second of the afternoon shortly thereafter to make it 4-1 Djurgården. Leksand’s Sarnovska later scored her second of the game to make it 4-2, but her team could not equalise and lost their sixth straight.

Each team showed up to this game rather shorthanded, due to injuries and illness. Luleå notably lacked stars Jenni Hiirikoski, Johanna Fällman and Reece Hunt, while newly signed Canadian defender Camryn Wong’s debut will have to wait until she has received her Swedish work visa. Brynäs, for their part, lacked Josefine Jakobsen, who only recently played her first game in over a year, and young Tilde Sundnäs Grillfors who will play at the upcoming IIHF U-18 World Championships in January. Brynäs defender Maude Poulin-Labelle dressed but saw limited action, and may be nursing an illness. In the first period, Luleå appeared somewhat off their game and made a number of uncharacteristically poor choices with the puck. Brynäs had the lion’s share of chances in the period, but could not solve Luleå goalie Frida Axell. In the second, the Luleå that fans are more used to seeing returned; just over a minute into the period, Nadia Mattivi and Viivi Vainikka crossed the blue line together, against four defending Brynäs players. Mattiivi carried left and passed to a poorly covered Vainikka in the slot. Vainikka made no mistake, and scored her eleventh of the season on a quick snapper to give her team the 1-0 lead. Brynäs pushed back, and created some excellent chances, notably by Jenniina Nylund and defender Sára Cajanová, but were denied time and again by tight Luleå defending and the steady hand of Axell. Emma Nordin added a late goal and the game ended 2-0. Nadia Mattivi recorded two assists in the win. The shutout was Axell’s second in a row and sixth in thirteen starts.

Brynäs meets Skellefteå tomorrow, while Luleå faces tough opposition in second-place MoDo.

SDE continued their strong play of late, and opened the scoring early when Ella Sköldebäck floated a shot through traffic to beat LHC keeper Ebba Svensson Träff. Minutes later, Linköping tied it up on the rush when Felicia Levin finished off a nice pass from Ann-Fred Guay to make it a 1-1 game. The goal was Levin’s second in as many contests. SDE retook the lead minutes later when Julie Zwarthoed banged in a rebound of a Lotti Odnoga shot to make it 2-1 after the first. The ice had not yet dried after the intermission when SDE struck again. A hard-forechecking Emily Nix, unmistakeable with her white cage, picked up a turnover caused by a puddle behind the Linköping goal. Nix passed out to Gabi Jones, unmarked in the slot, who scored to make it 3-1. The goal seemed to almost symbolise SDE’s recent play — they are working harder, they are more organized, they are doing the little things right, and as a result appear to finally be in the good graces of the Hockey Gods. They are earning the puck luck that eluded them in the first half of the season, and will continue to climb the standings if they can maintain this form. The match ended 4-1 for SDE. Forward Lisa Johansson’s assist on Sköldebäck’s first period goal kept her point streak alive at six straight games.

Both teams are off until the New Year.

Skellefteå did it again, as they defied expectations to defeat the league’s second-ranked team 5-2. After a scoreless first period that saw SKE backup goalie Blanka Skodová make 11 saves, things opened up in the second. MoDo struck first when defender Emma Seitz danced across the blue line before she attacked the right wing seam and threw a harmless-looking shot on net. The puck fooled Skodova and may have hit something before squeaking under her pad to give MoDo a 1-0 lead. Skellefteå responded ten minutes later with a somewhat flukey goal of their own when Nicoline Søndergaard Jensen’s shot trickled through MoDo goalie Lovisa Persson’s armpit and fell into the back of the net. After two periods, the score was tied but MoDo still appeared to be in control as they were outshooting their opponents 23-10. In the third period, Skellefteå accomplished the unlikely and scored four goals on 8 shots. Søndergaard Jensen notched her second of the afternoon, Laura Lerchova added another three minutes later and Ida Kuoppala potted two empty-netters to round out the team’s scoring. MoDo added a power play goal, but it was not enough, and the plucky underdogs took home a 5-2 win. Søndergaard Jensen, Kuoppala and Jenna Pirttijärvi had three points each in the victory. Both teams have a quick turnaround as Skellefteå meets Brynäs and MoDo faces Luleå tomorrow.