Swedish champions start the preseason with a tournament win

Luleå (SHL), Kärpät (Liiga) and Modo (Hockeyallsvenskan) visited Björklöven (Hockeyallsvenskan) in Umeå for a preseason tournament. Luleå, the 2025 Swedish champion,  beat Kärpät 4-0 and then Modo 6-2 in the final. Modo had beaten Björklöven 5-4 in overtime on the first day. Kärpät then beat Björklöven 7-2 for the third place.

Kärpät Oulu - Luleå HF  0 - 4 (0-1, 0-1, 0-2)

Luleå Hockey started the tournament and their preseason in style, defeating Kärpät Oulu 4–0. Goaltender Matteus Ward picked up a shutout with 28 saves, showing early on that his strong form from last season is still intact – including a crucial stop on a dangerous two-on-none chance in the opening period.

Kärpät dictated the pace in the first period and created chances, including two power plays, but Luleå’s penalty kill held firm. Just 34 seconds before the first intermission, Pontus Andreasson opened the scoring when his attempted pass in front deflected off a defender’s stick and into the net.

Early in the second period, Isac Hedqvist nearly set up Jakob Ihs Wozniak for a goal, before Luleå extended their lead on their first power play. Mathias Bromé tapped in from close range after a puck deflected his way following a shot from Filip Eriksson. Luleå took over the momentum, though Ward was called upon again to deny a Kärpät breakaway late in the frame, keeping it 2–0 after forty minutes.

The third period saw Luleå remain in full control defensively while still generating offense. Markus Nurmi made it 3–0 on a two-on-one rush set up by Hedqvist, and later Casper Juustovaara Karlsson finished a fine pass from Frederic Allard to seal the 4–0 victory.

Luleå went 1-for-2 on the power play (50%), while Kärpät went scoreless on four chances. Kärpät’s goalie Niklas Rubin made 23 saves on 27 shots (85.2%), but his team struggled to create sustained pressure against a disciplined Luleå side.

IF Björklöven -  MoDo Hockey  4 - 5 (2-0, 0-1, 2-3, 0-1)

MoDo Hockey opened with a dramatic 5–4 overtime win against rivals IF Björklöven. Both teams are hoping to win promotion to SHL this season.

Björklöven had the stronger start, scoring twice in the opening period – first through Fredrik Forsberg on a power play and then Oscar Tellström shorthanded – to take a 2–0 lead. In the second period, MoDo improved their play and were rewarded late when Tyler Kelleher scored their first goal of the preseason with a fine finish under pressure.

The third period turned into a wild back-and-forth battle. Sebastian Ohlsson equalized for MoDo before Sverre Rönningen gave them their first lead on the power play. Ohlsson struck again for 4–2, seemingly putting the game out of reach, but Björklöven mounted a furious comeback in the final minute with their goalie pulled. Tellström scored twice in 25 seconds to complete his hat trick and force overtime.

In the extra frame, Kelleher stepped up once again, firing home the game-winning goal just 31 seconds into overtime to seal a 5–4 victory for MoDo.

Goaltender Adam Werner made 23 saves on 27 shots (85.2%) for MoDo, while Olle Eriksson Ek stopped 20 of 25 shots (80%) for Björklöven. Both teams found success on special teams, with Björklöven going 1-for-4 (25%) and MoDo 1-for-5 (20%) on the power play.

Luleå HF - MoDo Hockey  6 - 2 (1-1, 4-1, 1-0)

Luleå Hockey claimed the Umeå Hockey Cup title with a convincing 6–2 win over MoDo Hockey on Saturday.

The reigning Swedish champions controlled much of the first period and took the lead on a Filip Eriksson one-timer during a 5-on-3 power play. MoDo answered shortly after, however, when Carl Mattsson capitalized on a shorthanded breakaway to make it 1–1 at the intermission.

Early in the second, Heikki Liedes restored Luleå’s lead with a quick finish from the slot, only for Mattsson to strike again on a rebound to level the score at 2–2. From there, Luleå seized full control: Mathias Bromé pounced on a loose puck for 3–2, before David Granberg and Jakob Ihs Wozniak added goals in quick succession, stretching the lead to 5–2 after 40 minutes.

In the third period, Luleå continued to dictate play and sealed the result when Bromé scored his second of the game on the power play to make it 6–2.

Goaltender Isak Sörqvist stopped 20 of 22 shots (90.9%) for Luleå, while Edvin Olofsson made 26 saves on 32 shots (81.3%) for MoDo. Special teams played a key role, with Luleå going 2-for-3 (66.7%) on the man advantage, while MoDo failed to convert on four opportunities.

IF Björklöven - Kärpät Oulu  2 - 7 (1-1, 0-3, 1-3)

Kärpät Oulu secured third place at the Umeå Hockey Cup with a commanding 7–2 victory over IF Björklöven.

Björklöven struck first when Liam Dower Nilsson opened the scoring early, but Kärpät quickly answered through Arttu Alasiurua and never looked back. The Finnish side broke the game open in the second period with three unanswered goals: Patrik Virta on the power play, Ben Tardif, and Tuukka Tieksola made it 4–1 after forty minutes.

In the third, Kärpät kept piling on. Aku Räty and Virta extended the lead before Oliwer Sjöström briefly pulled one back for Björklöven. However, a power-play strike from Roni Hirvonen and Virta’s second of the afternoon capped a dominant performance.

Goaltender Visa Vedenpää stopped 20 of 22 shots (90.9%) for Kärpät, while Frans Tuohimaa faced heavy pressure, making 34 saves on 41 shots (82.9%) for Björklöven. Special teams proved decisive: Kärpät went 2-for-5 (40%) on the power play, while Björklöven failed to score on nearly six minutes with the man advantage.

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