– It was a lot of joy to see it roll in and that it became a decisive goal. It was an important victory and they stole a match from us and it was important to spoil one here and it was nice, says match winner Max Lindholm to SVT Sport.
With three minutes left, an offensive Rögle, who was playing in a box play, bumped high and lost the puck at offensive blue. Max Lindholm plunged all over the ice and put the puck in between the legs of Christoffer Rifalk with a hard-courted puck for 3-2 for Skellefteå.
– We knew it would be tight. We have to let this go and move on with a new match on Saturday, says Rögle’s Dennis Everberg.
It looked like it was going to extra time
At the beginning of the third period, Arvid Lundberg sent a high puck that whizzed over the obscured and kneeling Christoffer Rifalk and made it 2-1 for Skellefteå.
With five minutes left, Rögle equalized to make it 2-2. Ludvig Claesson shot and Linus Söderström saved with the shin guard. On the return, Anton Bengtsson rushed forward and put the puck in high and then slid away on his knees. The ceiling was being lifted in the hall.
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See Skellefteå’s 1-0 goal in the player. Photo: Niclas Jönsson / BILDBYRÅN
Skating goal was approved after VAR review
Pär Lindholm angled up his skates and scored 1-0 for Skellefteå where the pass came from a Rögle player, a situation that was video reviewed.
– It is not a distinct kicking movement, announced the referee on the ice and pointed towards the center circle for an approved goal.
Just nine seconds later, Rögle equalised. Albin Sundsvik, with six seasons in Skellefteå, folded in from the left and scored 1-1 and a deafening cheer erupted in the hall.
It was the first SC final goal that Rögle scored in front of a larger audience. When the team played the club’s first SC final series in 2021 against Växjö, there were large audience restrictions due to the pandemic.