Rögle equalized the SM final series.
Afterwards, Skellefteå collapsed – against a tackle on fullback Jonathan Pudas.
– I am terribly pissed off, says coach Robert Ohlsson.
Skellefteå won the first SC final against Rögle and on Monday had the chance to tighten their grip on the series, with another match at home. In a tight match, it took all the way to the third period before Rögle’s 19-year-old Lian Bischel opened the scoring.
“I’m really pissed off”
It would turn out to be the only goal of the match, and Rögle thus tied the match series at 1-1. And as if that wasn’t enough, Skellefteå’s star defender Jonathan Pudas was also injured in the second period. He recently returned from injury, but was forced off after a solid tackle from Daniel Zaar.
Pudas had just cleared the puck out of his own zone when Zaar came speeding and tackled Pudas, who lost his balance and slammed into the rim. On the replays, it was clear that the tackle partially hit Pudas in the head, but the referees chose to completely clear Zaar on the ice. Afterwards, Skellefteå’s coach Robert Ohlsson raged against the decision.
– We’ve had so many suspensions this season on my hockey team, so it’s been absolutely crazy. I would like to be judged fairly this season, I don’t think I will be when I see situations like this which I assume are not equivalent to my suspensions, he says according to Aftonbladet, and continues:
– I’m terribly pissed off right now.
The expert’s clear judgment
Robert Ohlsson said afterwards that there is a big question mark as to whether Pudas will play more in the final series. However, TV4’s expert Staffan Kronwall said afterward that it was a nice tackle, and that the referees were right to judge.
– Jonathan comes low. If we don’t get tackled there, then we get to remove tackles. It’s hard to decide if the initial hit is to the face or chest and head, but if we can’t be tackled there… I don’t think the tackle is late, and if we can’t be tackled there, then we have to remove the tackles. Because how is he going to avoid hitting his head there? In that case, we have to remove it completely, he says in TV4.
Afterwards, the head referee Daniel Eriksson also commented on the incident, and he stood by the assessment.
– The assessment we make on the ice is that Daniel tries to tackle through the body, the head is partially hit, but not the primary force. Thus no expulsion, he tells TV4.
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