I’m watching the replay of the SC 2022 final between Luleå and Farestad this evening.
And you can’t help but wonder.
Will they meet in the new year 2024?
Now I must point out right away that I have nominated Frolunda as champion of Sweden in 2024 and I stand by that.
This is not new golden advice, but just a reflection after the start of the season that showed how parity is between the top teams.
Now Färjestad has also slowed down a bit after their very strong start and has lost two of the last three.
Luleå, meanwhile, have a four-game winning streak following tonight’s 2-1 penalty shootout win at home against Värmlanders in front of a sold-out Norrbotten Coop Arena.
A beautiful hockey match between two teams that felt perfect.
Low numbers, but it was a deserved win for the northern hosts as they were the better team during the 65 minutes played.
And the win is despite the fact that Linus Omark and Pontus Andersson have not yet woken up, 11 games into the season.
Radar pair from the successful 2021-22 season.
Luleå has an idle resource in Omark
I think most people were expecting Omark to be at the top of the league in points at this point, but it’s getting better and better for No. 67, who has collected a total of five points (1+4) so far.
It’s actually “just” enough for seventh place in the Indoor Points League, as new players Nikola Pasic from Södertälje and Oskar Eklund from Prinas clearly outperformed the Luleå icon in points production.
On the other side.
Few clubs have such an idle resource, and I have no doubt that both Omark and Anderson will wake up any day and start the chase.
I would be surprised otherwise.
Now Omark never had the chance to add a penalty, because David Lilja and Marcus Hardegård had already decided that after scoring the first two kicks.
Now if Linus Omark intends to add a third, which I think he does.
Hockey fever has not subsided
Now it’s tough at the top of the table, with Farestad, Skelleftea, Luleå and Örebro all five points adrift.
There are those who hunt from behind.
However, I consider Färjestad to be the best so far, even if both Skellefteå and Luleå shined, especially in the last rounds.
One thing is certain.
Hockey fever has not subsided in Norrbotten.
Frölunda, my golden favourite, went to Linköping at the same time and lost another away game.
Halloween is approaching, but the citizens of Gothenburg already have their own ghost.
They had no chance as Ostguta won 3-0 clear and shot 36-18.
This means that Frölunda still has only one point in their six away matches and a goal difference of 8-21.
These are the bottom numbers.
It’s the home game that has saved them so far.
There, they were unbeaten with six straight wins, one in overtime and the other on penalties.
Goal difference:
28-14.
It’s a puzzle that Roger Runeberg must solve and make the team grow even far from home.
Otherwise, I can throw my gold tip in the trash right now.
Rögle was the only team not to lose a single point at home in the Katena Arena.
Although Frölunda was far away, the people of Skåne also lived on their household sustenance.
Until Skellefteå came to visit.
It was another great turnaround in a game in which Rögle led 3-0 after the first period, but where the Västerbottins turned around and won 6-3.
Pure resemblance to HV71’s collapse in the last round, when they led Jänköping 4-0 to Frölunda, but fell 4-6.
There’s something about the fact that an early 3-0 lead is among the hardest things to handle in the sport of ice hockey.
It’s easy to fall on your heels, and when the train is moving, it’s almost impossible to turn around.
But this is strange.
It is also strange that Modou won the penalty shootout away to Vaxjo 33-20, but lost the match 1-0.
Goalie Adam Ohmann played admirably, but the Angermanlanders showed once again that they are in the SHL to stay.
At least that’s what it seems.