There was a long wait for a goal in the first final match between Skellefteå and Rögle. But there was no lack of chances. Both Skellefteå and Rögle had occasions when they had an open goal, but missed either the goal or the puck.
And in addition, Skellefteå’s Elias Salomonsson was close to putting the puck into his own goal during a pending Rögle expulsion. But 0–0 stood all the way to the third period.
In the end, Linus Lindström would be responsible for the match-deciding goal with just over four minutes remaining. And it was impressive. He first collided in the center zone with a Rögle player where he was hit on the knee, and fell to the ice. He quickly got back up, headed toward the goal and controlled the puck before knocking in his own rebound.
– It’s probably a tripping at worst, but a great pass by Arvid and I have to hit it in, says Lindström about the situation.
The goal was decisive in the match. Skellefteå held on and won exactly 1–0. This means that Rögle has lost a match for the first time during the playoffs. Before the game, they had ten straight victories.
– Really nice feeling. It’s a tight match. The first match, it’s a little getting to know each other. It’s nice to come out of it victorious, says Lindström.
– We are not getting to the level we want to be in. I think Rögle is the better team, says Skellefteå goalkeeper Linus Söderström to SVT Sport.
The Skellefteå victory was the team’s first at home in a final since the golden year of 2014. The team has played in four final series since then.
