It started as a nightmare and a match penalty after 25 seconds.
But Sweden’s JVM premiere in Gothenburg against Latvia ended like a dream.
An easy victory with 6–0 and a powerplay game that yielded a little over three goals.
A little more? Well, apart from three goals in numerical superiority, one came during a pending expulsion.
A successful game in numerical superiority can be worth its weight in gold in a short tournament like the Junior World Cup.
– We have good puck pace, then it opens up and we can shoot, said Linköping forward Filip Bystedt, who scored one in numerical superiority and one during the pending expulsion.
But the start for the Junior crowns was nightmarish in a sold-out Scandinavium.
Only 25 seconds had been played when Skellefteåbacken Elias Salomonsson received a match penalty for boarding.
But the Swedes rode out the storm during a five-minute long numerical disadvantage.
Three straight in the power play
Then the blue-yellow players showed how the power play should be played.
Skellefteå’s successful defender Axel Sandin Pellikka charged and shot – Malmö’s Anton Wahlberg headed in 1-0.
Filip Bystedt scored 2–0 on a direct shot.
Both goals in the first period came on the power play. It continued in the second when Jonathan Lekkerimäki, Örebro’s star forward, made it 3-0.
And then Bystedt made it 4–0 during a pending expulsion.
The Scandinavium audience (11,512) enjoyed – and howled.
– Magical, you hear them all the time, fantastic, Bystedt said of the audience.
In the third period there were also two Swedish goals – now five against five – through Felix Unger Sörum, Leksand, and Lekkerimäki who scored his second.
Hävelid kept a clean sheet
Sweden is chasing its third ever title in the Junior World Cup and, together with the USA, have been named as the main favorites ahead.
14 of the players were there when there was gold in the U18 WC last spring, when the USA was defeated in the final.
That time, Sweden lost against Latvia in the opening match.
Now the Swedes had learned their lesson and despite the tough start with the match penalty, things went smoothly.
In addition to the successful game in numerical superiority, goalkeeper Hugo Hävelid, who made his JVM debut, also had to keep a clean sheet.
The goalkeeping side has been described by many experts as Sweden’s weakness.
Sweden has a rest day before Germany waits on Thursday.
GÖRAN SUNDBERG/TT
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