Skellefteå first team to semi final

23 Mar 2014 | Fredrik Pålsson

Regular season winners and last year champion is the first team to semi final in the SHL playoff. Färjestad can join them tomorrow.

As expected 10th seeded HV71 couldn't do much against the regular season winners Skellefteå who won the quarter finals 4-1. After winning the the first three games HV71 managed to get a disputed overtime win in the fourth game with a winning goal that the referee supervisor admitted afterwards shouldn't had been allowed.

But in the end that goal didn't mean much as Skellefteå won game five with 3-1 at home ice today. The game was tied for 31 minutes until Peter Emanuelsson broke the deadlock. Joakim Lindström added the second goal before Viktor Arvidsson made it 3-0 early in the third, both power play goals. Ted Brithén gave some hope for HV71 with 3-1 but it didn't help and the season is over.

Head coach Torgny Bendelin who won't continue coaching the team but remain in the club said to Cmore "I feel an incredible proudness for the team. All fighted hard all the way. It was small marginals, we actually had many chances in the first period." And added "I congratualte Skellefteå, they have won it fair and have done it well". Andreas Johansson is reported to replace Bendelin as head coach.

In the other game played today Frölunda took a 3-2 lead over Linköping after a 6-2 win at home. After four close game Frölunda won with four goals today, scoring four goals in the third period in game with eight different goal scorers.

Linköping need to get their succesful power play going again to come back in this quarter final series. They are still waiting for the first PP goal in the quarter finals.

Färjestad can join Skellefteå in the semi finals if they beat Brynäs tomorrow. Färjestad won the first three games but Brynäs took game four yesterday with a 2-0 win. Jesper Ollas made it 2-0 in the second period after a huge mistake by Färjestad's goalie Fredrik Pettersson Wentzel.

Växjö and Luleå are tied at two. Växjö won the first two but Luleå has came back and won the last two games played. Yesterday it ended with 5-4 after some help for Luleå with bad goaltending from Scott Munroe. Count on that Teemu Lassila will play tomorrow. Linus Omark had four points in the game for Luleå and is starting to show form since he returned from NHL. Will he be the decisive player in this close quarter final?