Nearis the Hero as HV71 Shocks MoDo

Here's a look at Friday's SDHL action including heroics from Julia Nearis and a Michelle Karvinen hat trick:

MoDo 1 - HV71 2

After a scoreless first period, MoDo took the lead in the second on Lauren Bellefontaine’s eighth of the season. The goal was far from pretty, scored from a bad angle, nearly below the goal line, but it counted nonetheless. HV had a series of high quality chances in both the first and second periods, but MoDo keeper Andrea Brändli turned away every shot she faced. HV seemed energised by the return of fan favourite Kennedy Bobyck from injury, and matched MoDo shot for shot and chance for chance. Their persistence paid off in the final frame. First, Jenna Raunio scored on a sizzling one-timer to tie the game at 1-1. The minutes ticked by, and it seemed the game would head to overtime. With 30 seconds left in regulation, HV won an offensive zone faceoff and Raunio unleashed another bomb from the blue line. Her shot did not get through, but bounced to the stick of Julia Nearis, who made no mistake and buried the rebound to put HV up 2-1. Time expired and the underdogs earned a vital three points. They now trail eighth place Skellefteå by only two points with nine games remaining in the regular season. Goaltender Viktorie Svejdová made 34 saves in the win. Both teams are back at it on Sunday when MoDo meets Frölunda in a clash of league heavyweights, while HV71 faces off against Brynäs.

Brynäs 3 - Frölunda 6

In a back and forth game that remained close until the final ten minutes, Frölunda’s Michelle Karvinen tallied a hat trick and Sydney Brodt added an empty-netter to secure the 6-3 win. Brynäs’ Maude Poulin-Labelle opened the scoring with a hard wrist shot past Frölunda goalie Steph Neatby early in the first. Frölunda responded minutes later when Andrea Dalen whipped a backhand past Brynäs’ Ena Nystrøm on the rush. Mina Waxin put Brynäs back in front moments later with a snap shot from the left circle. Less than a minute into the second, Frölunda tied it up at 2-2 when Karvinen drove low and converted her own rebound. In the third period, Karvinen struck again, this time on the power play to give her team a 3-2 lead. She danced out of the corner and through the slot, outwaiting Nystrøm and avoiding the Brynäs defenders before depositing the puck in the back of the net. Brynäs responded with a power play goal of their own, Poulin-Labelle’s second of the night, to tie the match at three apiece. Karvinen, willing her team to victory, soon scored again, this time on a top corner clapper off the rush. Sofie Lundin would tally another, and Brodt’s empty netter completed the scoring for the evening. The 6-3 win brings third place Frölunda within one point of second place MoDo who remained stagnant after their loss to HV71. Brynäs will try to turn things around against HV on Sunday while Frölunda faces off against MoDo for a chance to take sole possession of second.

SDE 5 - Leksand 2

Leksand, desperate to score goals after weeks of impotence, came out hard and struck first when Kiira Yrjänen potted her third of the season. The goal seemed to awaken SDE, who proceeded to go on a tear. First, veteran Lisa Johansson triumphed on a solo mission to tie the game at 1-1. In the second period, Julia Johansson and Madison Bizal scored ten minutes apart to give SDE a comfortable 3-1 lead. The goals were each player’s first of the season. In the third period, SDE defender Lotti Odnoga padded the lead further when she converted a back door Julie Zwarthoed pass on the power play, and it was 4-1 for the home team. Leksand clawed one back with a power play marker of their own, but it was too little, too late as Lisa Johansson scored her second of the night, this time into an empty net, to give SDE a comfortable 5-2 win. The victory was SDE’s fifth straight, and a nice way to welcome back captain Mathea Fischer after her prolonged absence due to injury. The teams meet again on Sunday, this time in Leksand.

Skellefteå 0 - Linköping 5

Linköping scored five goals on 30 shots en route to their big road win over Skellefteå. LHC goaltender Ebba Svensson Träff made 34 saves for her league-leading eighth shutout and also tallied an assist on her team’s opening goal. Norwegian forward Marthe Pabsdorff Brunvold was sharp on the power play, and notched two points, a goal and an assist, on the advantage. The victory was Linköping’s fifth straight on the road, and keeps them steady at fourth place in the standings. Skellefteå’s streak of earning at least one point in the standings ended at six games. Both teams play again on Sunday, when Skellefteå meets Djurgården and Linköping takes on Luleå.

Luleå 3 - Djurgården 0

Recent Luleå addition Savannah Norcross kept up her torrid scoring pace, potting a goal and an assist to give her eight points in her first five SDHL games. Petra Nieminen buried her league-leading twenty-first of the season on a rebound to give Luleå the early 1-0 lead. Nieminen’s goal proved to be the game-winner as Djurgården struggled to generate offense and managed only 12 shots for the entirety of the game. Akane Shiga and Norcross rounded out the scoring and Frida Axell registered her sixth shutout of the season in the win. Djurgården has now dropped three straight games and sits in sixth place, only one point ahead of seventh place Brynäs.

Luleå plays Linköping on Sunday while Djurgården meets Skellefteå on the road.