Täby HC, MoDo, Växjö, Brynäs final four teams remaining
This weekend, Sweden’s U16 SM-Playoffs will continue when the final four remaining teams kick off the semifinal round of action on Thursday. MoDo Hockey will take on Brynäs IF, and IFK Täby HC will clash with Växjö Lakers in single elimination contests.
MoDo is searching for its first U16 age group championship since 2002. The other three teams are looking to make history, as not one of them has ever won the U16 SM-Playoffs in the tournament’s 51-year history.
MoDo hopes to keep surprising run alive
No other team’s performance to date this postseason has raised eyebrows more than MoDo. Getting off to a hot start in the opening round by knocking out fellow WHH-ranked Djurgårdens IF, MoDo used that victory as a jumpstart to their engine. In Group E contests, Elton Hermansson was a bright spot. A strong run of play allowed him to lead the team in scoring with one goal and five points in three games. In total, he has scored 11 points (4G, 7A) across six playoff games to date.
They will need continued contributions from him if there is any hope to offensively match the production that has been carried out by Brynäs. Leading the Brynäs attack that outscored opponents 22-10 in three Group F victories was Hugo Östberg with three goals and six points. There was also a steady stream of offense from the blue line, thanks to Elias Kedling (5G). His sudden emergence as a dependable scoring threat only bolsters an already potent attack. As a bonus, he led all defensemen in Group F in scoring.
Attempting to aid in the shutting down of that attack will be MoDo’s Edvin Lindqvist. In the last three games, he posted a 2.50 goals-against average and .920 save percentage. Lindqvist will be tasked with slowing down Brynäs, which seems to have hit its stride coming out of the latest group contests.
Täby’s top performers take on the Lakers
For a large part of this season, Täby has continuously reaped the rewards that the play of its power trio of Theo Stockselius, Marcus Nordmark and Melvin Novotny has provided. They rounded out the top five in scoring en route to boosting their club to a 3-0-0 Group E finish. If this game gets into a goal-scoring frenzy, Täby’s skaters will at least have the presence of mind that they will have Vincent Österlund between the pipes for any needed heroics.
Although Växjö will want to avoid a game plan of trading goals, it will be bringing talent to the matchup to do so should things trend that way. Making up the main point getters for the Lakers are Noa Bräutigam, Olle Ågren and Albin Laksonen. This group was one of the most dominant lines in the opening round of the playoffs, and have continued to wreak havoc for opponents tasked with defending them.
While those three will be aiming to match the high-powered offense of Täby, trying to contain it will be Malte Brolin and Theo Dahl. Both defensemen had a solid start to the postseason, and have continued to chip in the occasional point. However, they are known mostly for consistent thwarting of opposing team’s attacks, and will be relied upon heavily in this matchup. Two squads that are deep on scoring talent should make for some exciting fireworks when the puck is dropped.
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