Elitserien 2011/12

[Bennison]

2012-03-14 19:00 Luleå HF - AIK 2 - 3 (0-0, 1-3, 1-0) 5408 COOP Arena
AIK leads the series 2-1.

2012-03-14 19:00 Skellefteå AIK - MODO Hockey 2 - 3 (0-0, 1-0, 1-2, 0-1) 5480 Skellefteå Kraft Arena
Skellefteå leads the series 2-1.

2012-03-15 19:00 Brynäs IF - Frölunda HC 4 - 3 (1-0, 1-2, 1-1, 1-0) 7693 Läkerol Arena
Brynäs leads the series 2-1.

2012-03-15 19:00 HV 71 - Färjestads BK 4 - 3 (0-2, 2-0, 1-1, 1-0) 7000 Kinnarps Arena
Färjestad leads the series 2-1.

[Bennison]

2012-03-16 19:00 AIK - Luleå HF 4 - 1 (2-0, 1-1, 1-0) 8094 Hovet, Johanneshov
AIK leads the series 3-1.
Luleå won the regular season and chose to face AIK in the QFs. They did not expect this level of resistance. AIK has played really well and it looks difficult for Luleå to turn this around.

2012-03-17 15:00 Frölunda HC - Brynäs IF 0 - 5 (0-1, 0-3, 0-1) 12044 Scandinavium
Brynäs leads the series 3-1.
Frölunda is completely out-maneuvered, and young Jakob Silfverberg is being compared to Forsberg. He has been on the ice for the last 9 goals for Brynäs...

2012-03-17 15:00 Färjestads BK - HV 71 3 - 5 (0-1, 1-0, 2-4) 8605 Löfbergs Lila Arena
The series is tied 2-2.
Statistics is one thing, reality another. Three days ago hockey stats miners announced that Färjestad had never lost a playoff-series once they were 2-0 in games. HV71 may change that as they have turned that around to a draw in the series and momentum on their side.

2012-03-16 19:00 MODO Hockey - Skellefteå AIK 1 - 0 (0-0, 0-0, 0-0, 1-0) 7600 Fjällräven Center
The series is tied 2-2.
First two wins in regulation for Skellefteå, now two wins in overtime for MODO. This series looks like it's going for the full seven games, and no team can really be said to have the upper hand. Looking at regular season results, Skellefteå came 2nd and MODO 8th, so Skellefteå must still be said to be the favourite.

[Bennison]

2012-03-18 15:00 Luleå HF - AIK 0 - 3 (0-0, 0-1, 0-2) 5088 COOP Arena
AIK through to semi-finals, wins series 4-1.
AIK didn't give Luleå a chance in this series, they played their best hockey so far this season, while Luleå perhaps was too content at winning the regular season??

2012-03-19 19:00 Brynäs IF - Frölunda HC 1 - 2 (0-1, 0-1, 1-0) 8283 Läkerol Arena
Brynäs leads the series 3-2.

2012-03-19 19:00 HV 71 - Färjestads BK 3 - 5 (1-0, 1-2, 1-3) 7000 Kinnarps Arena
Färjestad leads the series 3-2.

2012-03-18 15:00 Skellefteå AIK - MODO Hockey 2 - 1 (0-1, 0-0, 2-0) 5423 Skellefteå Kraft Arena
Skellefteå leads the series 3-2.

[Bennison]

2012-03-20 19:00 MODO Hockey - Skellefteå AIK 1 - 2 (0-2, 0-0, 1-0) 6565 Fjällräven Center
Skellefteå through to semi-finals, wins series 4-2.
Skellefteå scored after 54 seconds in the first period and never let Modo in again. Skellefteå will face AIK in the semi-final.

2012-03-21 19:00 Frölunda HC - Brynäs IF 3 - 4 (1-1, 2-0, 0-2, 0-1) 10515 Scandinavium
Brynäs through to semi-finals, wins series 4-2.
Brynäs came back in the third period, scored the equaliser with 33 seconds and they Jacob Silfverberg sealed the game in over time. Silfverberg is universally celebrated as the bast player in the playoffs so far

2012-03-21 19:00 Färjestads BK - HV 71 2 - 0 (1-0, 0-0, 1-0) 7549 Löfbergs Lila Arena'
Färjestad through to semi-finals, wins series 4-2.
Färjestad is looking better with each game and could well be on their way to winning the championship again. They will have to get past Brynäs first though...

[Bennison]

2012-03-26 19:00 Skellefteå AIK - AIK 1 - 4 (0-0, 0-0, 1-4) 5541 Skellefteå Kraft Arena
AIK leads the series 1-0.
As usual when these two teams meet, the name issue is revived. AIK formed back in 1891, and Skellefteå AIK 30 years later. But in Skellefteå, the team is known simply as "AIK". So both teams say that "We're the real AIK. It all builds antagonism for the match series I guess, but seems petty from the side-lines.

In the game, AIK started best but both teams played a disciplined defense and did not give up many good scoring chances. All the goals fell in the last period, with AIK being the most effective. AIK has now won 5 straight playoff games.

2012-03-26 19:00 Brynäs IF - Färjestads BK 2 - 3 (1-1, 0-1, 1-0, 0-0, 0-1) 6670 Läkerol Arena
Färjestad leads the series 1-0.
This game was marred by a terrible accident where Färjestad goalkeeper Christopher Nihlstorp was hit in the eye by the tip of a Brynäs player's club. He immediately skated off the ice and the news state that he has suffered a scratched cornea but should be fine in a couple of days.

The game was won by Färjestad in the second overtime period, and like Skellefteå in the other semi-final series, Brynäs has lost the home game advantage and will have to find a way to up their game to turn the tide.

[Bennison]

2012-03-28 19:00 AIK - Skellefteå AIK 4 - 5 (2-1, 1-2, 1-1, 0-0, 0-0, 0-1) 8094 Hovet, Johanneshov
Series is tied 1-1.
A marathon game that AIK started off strong, taking the lead 2-0 in the first period. Skellefteå came back and the game was tied 4-4 at full time. It took three overtime periods to decide this, before Jimmie Ericsson scored the winner after 110 minutes of game time. Did that give Skellefteå a mental boost of confidence?

2012-03-28 19:00 Färjestads BK - Brynäs IF 2 - 4 (0-0, 0-2, 2-2) 7238 Löfbergs Lila Arena
Series is tied 1-1.
Brynäs capitalised on Färjestad's mistakes in this game and in the end managed a pretty comfortable win. This series is up for grabs. Perhaps Brynäs' successful youngsters Silfverberg and Järnkrok can tip the balance. They are currently 1st and 5th in Scoring Leaders table.

[Bennison]

I haven't had time to look at how any of these games went, so here are just the results.

2012-03-30 19:00 Skellefteå AIK - AIK 5 - 1 (0-0, 2-0, 3-1) 6001 Skellefteå Kraft Arena
Skellefteå leads the series 2-1.

2012-03-30 19:00 Brynäs IF - Färjestads BK 4 - 2 (1-0, 1-2, 2-0) 8407 Läkerol Arena
Brynäs leads the series 2-1.

[Bennison]

2012-04-01 17:30 AIK - Skellefteå AIK 5 - 3 (2-1, 1-2, 2-0) 8094 Hovet, Johanneshov
The series is tied 2-2.
These teams take turns having the upper hand. After being completely dominated in the last game, AIK came out and gave Skellefteå no chance in the first half of the first period and quickly achieved a 2-0 lead. Skellefteå worked their way back and looked like the better team in the second period. In the third period AIK played their best hockey yet and there was simply no longer any question of which team would win.

The next game will be extra important, but which team will win the mental game then?

2012-04-01 15:00 Färjestads BK - Brynäs IF 0 - 3 (0-0, 0-1, 0-2) 8550 Löfbergs Lila Arena
Brynäs leads the series 3-1.
Färjestad looked like a beaten team tonight. No game plan, no energy, no goals. Brynäs on the other hand looks really strong and has put themselves in a good position to make the finals for the first time since they won the championship back in 1998/99.

[shefpie]

Great to see Brynas doing so well. I know there's a historic rivalry between them and Leksands so perhaps you're not that pleased to see them doing so well, but I will be delighted if they knock Farjestads out. Good to see a classic team challenging again. Would be great to see a final without either FBK or HV71 in it. Hopefully it will be Brynas-Skelleftea but the AIK series looks very tough to call either way.

[Bennison]

You are correct that I don't know what foot to stand on in the Brynäs-Färjestad semi-final. On one hand I can't cheer for Brynäs and on the other I don't want Färjestad in the finals again...

[Bennison]

2012-04-03 19:00 Skellefteå AIK - AIK 8 - 2 (4-0, 1-2, 3-0) 6001 Skellefteå Kraft Arena
Skellefteå leads the series 3-2.
Skellefteå at home and Skellefteå away almost seems like two completely different teams. Can they bring some of their joy and confidence to Hovet in the next game and win the final spot or will AIK come back to equalise again...

2012-04-03 19:00 Brynäs IF - Färjestads BK 4 - 2 (1-1, 2-1, 1-0) 8286 Läkerol Arena
Brynäs through to finals, wins the series 4-1.
Brynäs has dominated Färjestad in this series, even if most of the talk after this game was that Brynäs scored the 3-2 goal after an offside situation. The margins are small in hockey, and sometimes it seems that they always fall in favour of one team. The first final in 13 years for Brynäs, but they are not content yet...

[Bennison]

2012-04-05 19:00 AIK - Skellefteå AIK 2 - 1 (0-0, 1-0, 1-1) 8094 Hovet, Johanneshov
2012-04-07 15:00 Skellefteå AIK - AIK 5 - 3 (2-1, 1-0, 2-2) 5855 Skellefteå Kraft Arena
Skellefteå to finals, wins the series 4-3.

[Bennison]

Championship final series: Skellefteå - Brynäs

Two of this seasons most offensive teams face off in the final series. Skellefteå came 2nd and Brynäs 4th in the regular season, but Brynäs has looked stronger so far in the playoffs, with a scoring percentage of 9.89% compared to Skellefteå's 7.84%.

Brynäs also has an edge in the goaltending department, Johan Svedberg has 1.66 GAA and 94.68% SVS% in 8 games, and backup Johan Holmqvist has 1.86 and 93.62 in his three games.

In Skellefteå, Joacim Eriksson has played all 13 games, and has 2.01 GAA and 92.89 SVS%.

Skellefteå has one dreaded weapon though, a brutally efficient power play. In the playoffs they have scored on 32% of their PP opportunities, something that may tip the scales in their favour if they manage maintain their edge.

The series starts tonight...

[Bennison]

2012-04-10 19:00 Skellefteå AIK - Brynäs IF 3 - 6 (0-2, 1-2, 2-2) 6001 Skellefteå Kraft Arena
Brynäs leads the series 1-0.

Comment
Brynäs proved stronger in the first final game, scoring efficiently on their counter-attacks. Skellefteå proved that their PP game is strong and scored all of their three goals in PP. Brynäs' Silfverberg continues to impress and lead Brynäs with 2 goals and an assist. Skellefteå has lost their home game advantage, just like they did against AIK. They turned that first loss into a secure win in the next game, are they strong enough to do that again?

[Bennison]

2012-04-12 19:00 Brynäs IF - Skellefteå AIK 3 - 2 (1-0, 0-1, 1-1, 1-0) 8405 Läkerol Arena
Brynäs leads the series 2-0.

Comments
Brynäs has put themselves in a good position after winning the second final game. This game was tighter than the last, with Skellefteå better in the defense and not allowing as many open chances as they did in the first game. Skellefteå also managed to score the equaliser at the end of the third period, but Brynäs won the game just two minutes into overtime.

Next up is games both Saturday and Sunday, but I do not expect Brynäs to take this in four straight games. My guess is that the teams will take one win each over the weekend.

[Bennison]

2012-04-14 15:00 Skellefteå AIK - Brynäs IF 0 - 1 (0-0, 0-1, 0-0) 6001 Skellefteå Kraft Arena
Brynäs leads the series 3-0.

Comments
Brynäs looks unstoppable in this series, winning tonight with the only goal of the game. The only question left now is wether Brynäs will celebrate the gold at home tomorrow, or if they will have to wait another couple of games...

[Bennison]

2012-04-15 19:00 Brynäs IF - Skellefteå AIK 3 - 4 (2-1, 0-2, 1-0, 0-1) 8405 Läkerol Arena
Brynäs leads the series 3-1

Comment
Skellefteå̈́'s long awaited victory finally came, but it took overtime to get there. This was a fast paced and intensive game, where both teams were aggressive in their forechecking. Skellefteå came really close to securing their win in regulation, hitting the crossbar with just a couple of minutes left to play. In overtime, Brynäs was awarded a penalty shot which the superb forward Jakob Silverberg shot past the goalkeeper, bit hit the post. Silfverberg is heading towards a bright future in NHL...

Next game in Skellefteå on April 17, will Skellefteå lose another home game, or edge closer to equalising this series?

[Valverde]

Brynas was so close to grab the title... I hope they will use one of the upcoming chances to win the series and their third championship as well.

[Marc Brunengraber]

Other than the first game, it has been a very close series on the scoreboard.

[Bennison]

2012-04-17 19:00 Skellefteå AIK - Brynäs IF 3 - 2 (1-0, 1-2, 1-0) 6001 Skellefteå Kraft Arena
Brynäs leads the series 3-2.

Comment
Skellefteå finally managed a home game win, even if it was tight again this game. A very physical game with high speed passing and lots of follow through on the tackles. Both teams had periods with long offensive pressure and others where they were pushed back on their heels.

Perhaps Skellefteå has the mental edge now to push this series to seven games and be the first team ever to turn around a 0-3 deficit in the final series. They must first defeat Brynäs in front of a sold-out arena, where black market ticket prices reportedly are soaring towards SEK10,000 (~US$1,500).

[Bennison]

2012-04-19 19:00 Brynäs IF - Skellefteå AIK 2 - 0 (0-0, 1-0, 1-0) 8405 Läkerol Arena
Brynäs wins the series 4-2 and are Swedish Champions 2012!

Comment
Excellent goaltending and a big playoff star in Jakob Silfverberg were the deciding factors in this match series. While Skellefteå fought back valiantly after being down 3-0 in the series, Brynäs looked like the winner all along, and deservedly got to celebrate last night.

The 2011/2012 Elitserien champions are BRYNÄS IF!!BIF.png

[shefpie]

Great to see Brynäs claiming their first title this century. Crazy to hear about those blackmarket ticket prices. Is Järnkrok going to Detroit next season or will he stick around in Elitserien for another year?

[Bennison]

I think the general idea is that Järnkrok will play in Elitserien another year, at least according to this article.

Silfverberg however is going to Ottawa on Sunday...

[Marc Brunengraber]

Video highlights of the final game:

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=O20pIlNAx2E