The top team from Småland has lost the league lead in the SHL to Skellefteå after two unusual setbacks recently.
1-6 against Oskarshamn a week ago.
2-7 against last Thursday’s Malmö.
So when league third and reigning champion Färjestad came to visit in the last match before the national team break, Växjö had loaded up properly.
Both the players and the home crowd among 5,344 loud spectators.
— There are no people in the stands there (in Malmö)…We love playing here at home, the crowd gives us great energy, says Hardy Häman Aktell, the 4-0 scorer, to C More.
Rip start decided
But it was the flying start in the first period that paved the way for the victory. Växjö took a 3-0 lead after two of the goals came in numerical superiority and two in the last two minutes of the period.
Växjö had not scored a power play goal in six games, but Jayden Halbgewachs broke that drought (1–0) and Lukas Bengtsson (2–0) added another after a cannon shot.
“It’s very nice that it comes off in the power play, nice for everyone,” says Bengtsson.
Well, not really all of them. Färjestad’s team captain Linus Johansson was critical of the pair of referees Pehr Claesson and Mattias Enroth who took four Färjestad expulsions in the first period.
— The first second is absolutely horrible and the one for six men (which gave 2-0) was special. No, I am not satisfied with the expulsions, says Johansson to C More.
Dan Sexton made it 3–0 with just four seconds left in the opening period.
Spectacular turnaround
+ Leksand accounted for a spectacular turnaround away to Örebro. The Dala team scored three goals in 3.28 at the end and turned 1–3 into 4–3. The big match winner was Kalle Östman, who was involved in all the goals, two goals and two assists, and scored both the equalizer and the winning goal.
— I have a good voice right now. It was really nice, an important third. It felt good before third and we believed in it, says Östman to C More.
+ Series six Timrå defeated Frölunda at home with 3–1 and strengthened their place above the quarter-final line. Olli Palola scored the match-winning goal, which means that Timrå is only one point behind fifth place Frölunda.