Two teams so far undefeated in the playoffs played ice hockey both long and well before it was possible to separate them in the first semifinal. Växjö’s forward Richard Gynge was the one who stepped forward and lowered Örebro. – Great, says Gynge after 3-2 to Växjö after 93 minutes of ice hockey.
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Richard Gynge cheers for victory.
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The clock had ticked until just before midnight before it was clear which team would take home the first round in the best of five between Växjö and Örebro.
Then Växjö’s forward Richard Gynge stepped forward. Jack Drury put the puck on goal and Gynge’s timing in the control made the great Örebro goalkeeper Jhonas Enroth powerless.
Series-winning Växjö kicked off the match and took the lead when Hardy Häman Aktell scored after just over two minutes of play.
– I think we came out very well, we make a good match, says Richard Gynge.
But Örebro quickly regained courage in the club’s first historic semi-final match.
Växjö’s experienced goalkeeper Viktor Fasth injured himself in connection with a save and was forced to retire. In came Erik Källgren who got off to a tough start.
First, Örebro’s Nick Ebert acknowledged. With only seconds left of the first period, Robin Kovacs took advantage of Växjö’s negligence so well that Örebro could go to the break in the lead. But then Erik Källgren closed his store again.
– It was hard to see Viktor (Fasth) do badly, he is a fantastic goalkeeper and a big part of our team. But really fun to see (Erik) Källgren’s mental strength after a tough start, says Richard Gynge.
The second period was marked by expulsions in both directions. During the very last powerplay of the period, Jack Drury aimed and pulled Växjö’s equalizer puck there.
No matter how even a playoff match may be, a team must emerge victorious from the battle. However, the players kept the TV viewers at the devices almost all the way until Thursday turned into Friday.
– It’s easy to say now, but fun to play matches like this. A little nervous too, every shot can be decisive, says Richard Gynge.
In the 93rd minute of the match, Gynge made the last effort of the match.
– Jack (Drury) chose to fit and I just needed to have the club in the ice, it was really nice to see it go in, he says about his decisive goal.
Both teams left the ice for just over 19 hours of rest before the next islet run in this match series where a place in the Swedish Championship final is at stake.
– Extra important to win first when there are five matches instead of seven, absolutely. Now it’s time to eat, rest, recharge and bring our energy into the next match, Richard Gynge concludes.
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