HV71 Swedish champions

For the first time ever a game seven of a Swedish final was decided in overtime. But that was of course the only way to end this very dramatic final series between HV71 and Brynäs where three of the seven games went to overtime.

HV71 was the slight favourites going into the series but Brynäs did very well and had the chance to win at home with a 3-2 lead before game six. But after a really bad start to the game the dreams of gold at home died and the final went to a all decisive seventh game in Jönköping.

Kinnarps Arena was of course sold out with an incredible atmosphere and even if it was a lot at stake both teams made a very good game. Jacob Blomqvist who was one of Brynäs best players in the playoff gave Brynäs the lead and they held it for a long time and despite good chances for both team to score the score was still 0-1 at the start of the third period.

Four minutes into the third period HV71 tied the game when Christoffer Törngren fired off a shot from a very bad angle that still found it's way in. That goal took the game and series to an overtime. And there it was Simon Önerud who took the role as a hero 11:01 into the overtime when Martin Thörnberg made a sprint along the rightwing and found Önerud who got his stick to the puck and scored the winner from close range.

That was Önerud's tenth goal of the playoff making him the top goal scorer. And after the game he was not only awarded with an gold medal but also Stevan Liv Memorial Trophy as the most valuable player of the playoff. A very big moment for Önerud, scoring the winning goal in the final for the club he started his career in and which also was Stefan Liv's club. Many of the players dedicated the title to Liv who was one the players who died in the tragic Lokomotiv Yaroslavl plane crash.

The title was the fifth ever for HV71. Martin Thörnberg who assisted on the winning goal has been on team for four of them and on the first title his father Owe Thörnberg played on the team. It seems to be something with HV71 and the Thörnberg family, HV71 should be probably be glad that Martin managed to recover from the rather nasty injury when a hard shot hit his genitals in final game four. It certainly seems like it needs to be a Thörnberg on the ice for HV71 to win.

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