There was never really any doubt about it, even though the home team Karlskoga tried to make it exciting in the second period when they went from 0–4 to 2–4.
Series winners Björklöven went through the HockeyAllsvenskan playoffs with only one loss in 13 games (against Södertälje in the semi-finals). And now they are back in the top league again after 25 years.
There are so many emotions now. We have had a fantastic season, from the first round until now. We have been a top team, have been the best and only lost one match in the playoffs, Magnus Bogren says to TV4 Play.
We decided what we wanted to stand for and what we wanted to play for, and the guys have really stepped up and shown character in so many games. It’s a fantastic group.
“Pinch my arm”
Team captain Axel Ottosson grew up just a few hundred meters from the ice rink in Umeå and has followed Björklöven both off and on the ice since he was little.
When we got back to HockeyAllsvenskan (2013), I was standing in the stands, jumping and singing. That I would get to stand here and lead this fantastic team to the SHL is a childhood dream. I have to pinch myself, he says.
I’m so fucking proud of the guys, the leaders, everyone who fights in the office, everyone who cheers every game – this is so big.
Had the chance before
In the fourth match, in Karlskoga, Björklöven took a 2–0 lead in the first period and extended it to 3–0 and then 4–0 after just a few minutes in the second.
Only then did the pressure seem to ease for Karlskoga, who responded with two quick goals and continued to create chances. After only four shots on goal in the first period, they had 13 in the second.
The victory was secured in the third period when Björklöven took a 6–2 lead. Björklöven made it 7–3 into an empty net, and Karlskoga scored a consolation goal at the end.
The Umeå team has had the chance to play in the SHL before in the 21st century. They were in the Allsvenskan final three years in a row between 2020 and 2022. But first COVID-19 put a stop to it, then HV71 and Timrå.
