PHOTO: Bildbyrån
Last Saturday, Skellefteå secured an impressive away victory against Frölunda in the SHL.
During the match, Skellefteå’s Jonathan Pudas and the home team’s veteran Joel Lundqvist smoked together in front of the away team’s box.
– You want to do the little extra to win, says Jonathan Pudas to Hockeynews.se.
Before the national team break, Skellefteå ended by defeating Frölunda 4–1 in front of almost 10,000 spectators in Scandinavium. During the match, emotions were hot – something that became especially clear when Skellefteå’s back Jonathan Pudas smoke together with Frölunda’s veteran who is also the team captain Joel Lundqvist in front of the away team’s box.
“A lot of feelings”
After a melee in which the latter went backwards, Pudas became enraged, which led to a heated exchange between the two moments later.
– When Frölunda is gone, there are a lot of emotions. Then you especially want to win before a break, to be able to leave there and step in here with a nice feeling. We were also on the same points, so that match meant a lot more than being three points behind. So there was a lot at stake. It was probably more emotions in general that it was an important match, a fun match to play, says Jonathan Pudas to Hockeynews.se.
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Pudas admits that a rivalry has arisen between the clubs, and that it is important not to back down when it matters.
– That’s the kind of thing that happens. We didn’t quite agree on that one. He doesn’t quite agree with what I do on the ice either. Nothing I focus on anything else. You want to go the extra mile to help your team win. Sometimes it’s mental stuff too to show that we’re here to get three points and we’re not backing down. As far as I was concerned, there were always fun matches in Scandinavium. Two teams that have met a lot and it has become a little rivalry, he tells the site.
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Piken towards Friberg
With a twinkle in his eye, Pudas also made it clear that it was a nice bus ride home from the west coast – at the same time he took the opportunity to send a little dick to Frölunda’s forward Max Friberg with whom he now plays in Tre Kronor.
– It was a nice bus ride home afterwards. And it was extra nice to see Max Friberg on Monday… It was a bit like that too. Nice to be able to tease him a little, he concludes.
Skellefteå is currently in third place in the SHL, while Frölunda is parked in eighth place, three points behind.