Week 52

The final week of 2022 provided the SHL with a full slate of games before the new year was upon us. One of the teams that took it upon themselves to make sure they entered the New Year on a high note was Rögle.

They faced off against Frölunda on Wednesday night which was supposed to be a big night of celebration in Scandinavium as they paid Tribute to the great Henrik Lundqvist. Unfortunately for Frölunda fans, Rögle had plans on spoiling their big evening. Coming into the game Rögle had already won their first two games of the season against Frölunda and were looking for a third. The home team got off to a strong start as they scored the only goal of the opening frame. However Rögle would answer back in the second with a tying goal. Then, within the span of 40 seconds Frölunda would regain the lead and Rögle would once again tie the game. That would be all the scoring in regulation time as neither team managed to find anymore offence before the horn sounded on the third period.

Despite the fact that both teams had a number of shots in the overtime frame, both goaltenders stood strong and kept the 2-2 tie intact, forcing the game to a shootout. It would be Oskar Stål-Lyrenäs who would play hero for Rögle as he scored the game winning goal in the shootout and putting a damper on Frölundas evening.

Friday evenings action in Ängelholm would prove to be a thrilling shootout of a match and one of the highest scoring games of the season so far.

It was a dream start for Rögle against Brynäs as they jumped out to a three goal lead in the first period and were looking comfortable as just a single goal against late in the first gave them the two goal lead heading into the second frame. However that comfort quickly dissolved early in the second as Brynäs scored a second goal with less than five minutes elapsed, then tied the game halfway through the period. Rögle would recover and regain the momentum, however, as they scored another pair of goals before the end of the period and would once again carry a two goal lead into the intermission.

Brynäs refused to lay down and continued to put pressure on in the third and once again struck early in the frame to pull the game back within one. Unfotunately that is as close as they would come as Rögle would score three more goals in the period and Brynäs could muster just one more. Rögle came away with the thrilling 8-5 victory and ended the year on a high note. Adam Tambellini, Daniel Zaar and Vojtech Mozik would all score a pair of goals in the contest.

With their pair of wins this week Rögle has vaulted themselves into 7th in the standings with 43 points in 29 games played.

Off Ice News

Abols

It was a slow week in off ice news with very few player moves before heading into 2023. The biggest news of the week, however, was a lateral move by Rodrigo Abols and came as a surprise for a lot of people. The 26 year old Captain of Örebro confirmed yesterday that the team would not be offering him a contract extension for next season, so he will instead be heading to Rögle at the start of the 2023/24 season. A move that, he says, was not his decision.

– I told my agent straight away that my main priority was to stay in Örebro. We started to have a dialogue and asked them about the possibility of an extension. Then they replied that they were not ready yet, which I bought. But then there was complete silence for a long time. Then I had to probe the market for other offers, says Abols.

Örebro is the only SHL club Abols has played for since coming to Sweden and was promoted to Captain last season.

Brynäs

Brynäs made two moves between the big club and Almtuna in HockeyAllsvenskan this week. They have called up 20 year old goaltender Oliver Håkansson and sent down 22 year old forward Oscar Birgersson.

Håkansson came up through the Almtuna junior program and will get his first taste of SHL action with this promotion. Birgersson, on the other hand, is a product of the Brynäs junior team and has spent the entirety of this season so far with the big club.