Skellefteå AIK has won the Swedish Hockey League finals, defeating Rögle BK four games to one.
“It feels absolutely fantastic,” coach Robert Olsson told TV4, according to HockeyNews.se. “I won my first championship in Skellefteå on the visiting team. I’m very happy to win at home in Skellefteå. It feels damn good.”
Although the club has been playing hockey since the 1940s, this is only the fourth national title for Skellefteå, who previously won in 1978, 2013 and 2014.
After finishing third in the regular season, Skellefteå swept Linköping HC in the quarterfinals and then beat Frölunda HC in a tough, gruelling seven-game semifinal series.
With a 2-0 shutout in the deciding game, goaltender Linus Söderström won the Stefan Liv Memorial Trophy as playoff MVP.
Skellefteå was led offensively during the season by Oscar Lindberg and defenseman Jonathan Pudas. The lineup included a mix of veterans and young prospects, including Axel Sandin Pellikka, Elias Salomonsson and Anton Olsson and forwards Zeb Forsfjäll and Simon Robertsson.
The team’s acting captain during the season was Möller’s long-time linemate Pär Lindholm. Lindholm had been a member of several of Skellefteå’s near-miss teams but this was his first title.
“You can pinch yourself in the arm,” Lindholm said post-game, as reported by HockeyNews.se. “I’ve been waiting for this all my life. I can’t think clearly right now, there are no words. We deserve the gold. It’s so damn lovely to take it together.”
At 35 and 32 years of age, both Möller and Lindholm are under contract with Skellefteå for next season and Möller intends to be back
“That’s the plan,” he said. “I have a rehabilitation plan to follow, then we’ll see what the future has in store.”
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