I have rarely enjoyed a Saturday matinee as much as the one between Skellefteå and Luleå.
It was as if at twelve o’clock on New Year’s Eve, it was gurgling and hotter than during a whole round.
Had it been a movie, it would probably have been restricted to children.
I’m just glad there are rivalries of this magnitude in the SHL.
The kind of matches where you cheer yourself up on the TV couch and can’t take your eyes off the game.
But know that anything can happen at any time.
This rivalry has been built up in recent years and since Skellefteå established itself in earnest after coming back to the SHL in earnest in 2006.
Quickly topped up by Mikael Renberg’s move to Skellefteå, just a week or so after his tearful farewell to Luleå in 2007.
It stirred emotions that make Mario Kempe’s farewell look like a fart in space.
If he doesn’t go to Skellefteå, of course, but that won’t happen.
full screen Skellefteå’s Rickard Hugg and Luleå’s Brendan Shinnimin. Photo: Ola Westerberg / Bildbyrån
SHL’s hottest rivalry
But these matches between Luleå and Skellefteå are already the SHL’s hottest rivalry, even if Färjestad and Frölunda can touch the same heights, closely followed by the Scania derby between Malmö and Rögle.
There is something special that has been built up between the two northern teams, a rivalry that brings out both the best and sometimes the worst in the players.
Now things in and of themselves calmed down a bit after a first period that was like New Year’s fireworks, where there were fights after pretty much every single whistle and where nine expulsions were handed out.
Most for fights.
That opening period was the most no-kids thing in this match and it calmed down somewhat in the second and third.
But just a little.
Otherwise, a fight broke out barely nine minutes into the first period and shortly afterwards Max Lindholm got a free shot and put the puck neatly into Matteus Ward’s left cross after 8.53.
And just over a minute later, Filip Sandberg received a puck that bounced the right way in the attack zone, shot and it was a rebound that landed at the feet of Linus Lindström, who had no problem making it 2-0.
Then Linus Omark was careless and lost the puck on red, Pär Lindholm got free and Marcus Hardegård had to take a reverse life grab to stop him.
It was a penalty for Skellefteå, but Anton Heikkinen missed as much as Ward saved.
Instead, Linus Omark suddenly had to stand completely clean at Linus Söderström’s right post and lifted a backhand into the far cross. Just 49 seconds after the penalty that could make Omark the scapegoat.
That’s how thin the line can be in ice hockey.
And instead of 3–0, it was 2–1 with just 27 seconds left in the opening period.
helskärmSkellefteås Jonathan Pudas and Luleås Brendan Shinnimin i luve each other. Photo: Ola Westerberg / Bildbyrån
Clearly: Better free than trapped
But in the second period, Skellefteå showed that they were the best team on this day.
There was great dominance and when Jonathan Johnson splashed 3-1 free in front of goal after 10.45 it felt more than deserved.
It should have been 4–1 as well, when defender Arvid Lundberg scored a goal that the referees chose to rule out, as they considered that Linus Lindström interfered with the goalkeeper, but where I put my vote that it was Brendan Shinnimin who forced him to stay in the finish yard just before the finish line.
A clear case of better free than trap.
Now it paved the way for Luleå to get in touch already 37 seconds into the final period, when Juhani Tyrväinen was able to reduce to 3–2.
The Finn who got really angry when he was interviewed between the second and third periods and was asked about a moose accident he had witnessed in the days between.
But Tyrväinen only wanted to talk about the clash with Skellefteå.
At the same time, it showed the state of mind the players in these two teams are in when they meet.
Total focus on the here and now and fighting for every loose puck.
But back giant Arvid Lundberg got his goal in the end, when he made it 4–2 and decided the match 8.16 into the final period.
But not without a new controversy, when Brendan Shinnimin got hit and lost his helmet just before.
But overall, Skellefteå was the better team and it felt logical when Max Lindholm finished with 5–2 in an empty net.
full screen Oscar Möller with family in the stands. Photo: Ola Westerberg / Bildbyrån
Great to see Oscar Möller with his family in the stands and that he seemed to enjoy the match as much as I did.
As he zoomed into the stands, the entire black and yellow section of the audience stood up and cheered.
I hope he is back soon.
In that case, we can talk about heavy new acquisition.
Leksand is the SHL’s hottest team right now and they won 4–2 away to Timrå, despite star Marek Hrivik having to step off injured at 2–2.
But the absolute biggest star of the Leksings right now is spelled Lucas Elvenes.
It is just over a year since HV71 broke his contract after only three games played.
Perhaps that says more about the Småland than about the Elvenes.
Färjestad finally stopped at Oskarshamn in the afternoon’s third game, after losing the teams’ two previous meetings.
Now it was 3–1 in Löfberg’s arena and order has been restored.
full screen Skellefteå’s Arvid Lundberg and Dylan Sikura celebrate after the 4–2 goal. Photo: Ola Westerberg / Bildbyrån
2023-12-30 17:18:36
#Wennerholm #sounded #midnight #Years #Eve
