It’s a rematch! Luleå/MSSK and Linköping to go for gold
Will history be repeated or rewritten?
The SDHL Finals kick off March 13.
Luleå Hockey/MSSK? READY!
Linköping HC? READY!
This rematch of last year’s final is a contradiction: both surprising and not. As I mentioned back in November, Luleå is always a team to watch and it’s no shock to see them back in the final. They’re a great team backed by some of the best front office support the SDHL has to offer, and it shows on the ice. Last year they won the series over Linköping two games to one and took home the club’s second title in three years. This year, the final is a best-of-five series.
Linköping, meanwhile, saw a promising season marred by inconsistency and injury up and down the lineup. Yet here they are, back at Coop Norrbotten Arena (better known as Delfinen), determined to rewrite history in the final, take revenge, and bring gold back to Linköping for the first time since 2015.
Some Key Players
Jenni Hiirikoski, Luleå Hockey/MSSK
Jenni Hiirikoski is simply the best defender on God’s/Bastet’s/Janelle Monaé’s green earth. Period. The end. Tenacity, scoring, leadership, time all over the ice...Hiirikoski does it all.
Eveliina Suonpää, Linköping
After a shaky start and an adjustment period to her first season in the SDHL, Suonpää got her skates under her during the playoffs and has posted a .948 save percentage in seven games. She’s a two-time Olympian and one of Finland’s most promising goalies; if she stays hot this series she’ll give her team every chance to win in front of her.
Emma Nordin, Luleå Hockey/MSSK
Nordin is a hard-working forward with the statistical fruits to show for her labor. She doesn’t always get the public credit she deserves for the work she logs on and off the ice, but she’s got the trust and respect of her teammates, as well as a wicked scoring touch.
Kennedy Marchment, Linköping
The team’s highest scorer in her rookie outing, Marchment’s sparked gorgeous chemistry with her linemates all season long. Look for that to continue when it matters most.
Prediction
Some great hockey. That’s all you’re getting out of me, dear readers.
The first game starts on March 13 at 18:30 at Coop Norrbotten Arena. Stream it live for free worldwide on SVT Play.
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