Imports Dominate SDHL Scoring This Weekend

The SDHL is a stomping ground for the best pros outside the PWHL. This weekend imports from outside Sweden dominated.

Luleå 6 - Leksand 0

Luleå’s Petra Nieminen put on a show in front of 3127 fans in Coop Norrbotten Arena on Friday evening, scoring a hat trick as her team cruised to a 6-0 win. Nieminen has now tallied 17 points (8+9) in her last 10 games, and is the league’s top scorer with 42 points (24+18) in Norrbotten31 games. Imports carried Luleå’s offense in this game, scoring all six of the team’s goals. Swede Emma Nordin chipped in with two assists. Ellen Jonsson did an admirable job between the pipes for outmatched Leksand, making 28 saves in the loss. Leksand have now dropped 13 straight and were shutout for the 13th time this season.

Djurgården 1 - Frölunda 2

Djurgården got off to an excellent start, taking the early 1-0 lead on Alice Östensson’s third of the season. The lead held, thanks to some excellent goaltending from Ida Boman, until midway through the second period, when FHC’s Elisa Holopainen blasted home her 18th of the season with a one timer on the power play. The teams traded chances, but opposing goaltenders Boman and Steph Neatby stood tall, denying shot after shot. Finally, with fewer than five minutes remaining in the game, wiley veteran Michelle Karvinen completed a sweet passing play from linemates Andrea Dalen and Hanna Olsson, slickly redirecting the puck past Boman to make it 2-1 Frölunda. The goal held as the game-winner. Neatby made 18 saves in the victory. DIF dropped their sixth straight.

Brynäs 1 - MoDo 2 SO

Brynäs came out hard in the first period and opened the scoring when 2025 Ohio State University commit forced a turnover in her own zone, raced the length of the ice and blasted a shot past MoDo goalkeeper Andrea Brändli. The solo effort was Vanhanen’s tenth goal of the season. MoDo pressed for the equaliser, but were denied on a series of high value chances by Brynäs keeper Ena Nystrøm, who had been hot of late, and boasts a 95,28 save percentage in her last five games. Her teammates peppered Brändli with chances of their own, but could not beat the Swiss phenom again to extend their lead. With only 23 seconds remaining in the middle frame, MoDo put together a beautiful passing play on the rush to finally tie the game at one apiece: Darcie Lappan entered the zone and speed and passed to Ella Albinsson who fed a driving Adela Sapovalivova in the slot. Sapovalivova deftly snapped the puck past Nystrøm for her twelfth of the season. The third period and overtime solved nothing and the game went to a shootout, where MoDo’s Ebba Hedqvist scored the only goal giving her team a 2-1 victory and snapping Brynäs’ winning streak at four. Brändli made 30 saves for the win.

Linköping 1 - HV71 2

HV keeper Viktorie Svejdova stood on her head, Jenna Raunio had a goal and an assist, as HV snapped their three-game losing streak with a victory on the road. Linköping was the better team in the opening frame. They used their speed and some deft passing to create a handful of quality chances, and to score the game’s first goal. Olivia Sohrner danced down the left half boards before firing a perfect pass onto the stick of Naomi Rogge, parked in the slot. Rogge redirected the pass past Svejdova to give Linköping the 1-0 lead. In the second period, HV’s Hilda Svensson came to life. The forward has shone at times this season, using her size, speed and excellent shot to flummox opposing defenders. She came alive in the second period, generating a number of chances before logging a beautiful assist on Jenna Raunio’s goal to make it a 1-1 game. Midway through the third period, HV’s Emmi Rakkolainen scored the eventual game-winning goal off a feed from a surprisingly speedy Julia Nearis, more known for her imposing netfront presence than her tempo. HV71 held on to win 2-1. Svejdova made 33 saves for the victors.

Skellefteå 4 - SDE 1

Another Swedish Women’s Hockey League game in which not a single Swede registered a point. Also notable was the plague of penalties; 48 minutes were handed out in total, six minors to Skellefteå and eight minors and a game misconduct to SDE. The game’s first goal, potted by Skellefteå’s Nicoline Søndergaard Jensen, was a redirection of a nice Aino Karppinen pass on a 2-on-4 break, that SDE should have been able to stop. Undeterred, SDE equalised in the second period on a goal from Gabi Jones off the rush. That was as close as the game would get. Skellefteå notched three straight — from Mikayla Lantto, Laura Lerchova and Sini Karjalainen — and goaltender Camryn Drever shut the door the rest of the way. Final score 4-1 Skellefteå. The loss was SDE’s second in a row after a streak of seven straight wins.