Sports can be both uplifting and exhilarating, a feeling unlike any other. But they can also be humbling, a sobering experience. In their Champions Hockey League Semi-Finals series against Luleå Hockey, Frölunda Gothenburg were the recipients of the latter feelings as they fell to their fellow Swedes in the shootout in a 4-3 decision.
This marks only the third time in eight seasons that Frölunda have failed to reach the Final, and this is their second consecutive elimination in the Semi-Finals. Last year, the Swedish side lost to eventual Champions Rögle Ängelholm.
Losses sting a little more when you see just how close you were to winning, and for veteran CHLer Joel Lundqvist, this is why last night’s defeat is particularly hard to swallow.
“In the third and in overtime we had our chances to win this game,” the centreman said, “so a tough loss. It’s always tough to lose games like this but especially when you have the chances to win.”
Both clubs were on par with each other the entire match. When one team would score, the other would answer right back. In the second period alone five goals were scored and despite being down by one heading into the third, Frölunda never let up.
“It was a tight game, there were chances both ways,” Lundqvist said.
Most of those chances came from the blueline where four of the six goals were scored from. When asked if this was by design, the Frölunda captain paid respects to his opponents' play in their own end: “Luleå ’s good in their defensive zone and they’re good along the boards so we had to use the defence more and get traffic to the net and it paid off.”
"You always want to play in the Final, you always want to win. That’s why we play in this competition."Frölunda Gothenburg's Joel Lundqvist
For all their success and willingness to battle through the adversity, Frölunda were unable to find that winning marker when it mattered most and for that, Lundqvist admitted that his team has been lacking, especially when it comes to special teams.
“In general, we’ve been struggling on the powerplay. Tonight we had three chances early on but didn’t use it and then especially in overtime with the 4-on-3,” he said.
Missed opportunities are an unfortunate reality for any team, but in a match of this caliber against a team this talented, you need to have everything clicking.
“You need that in place if you’re going to win a competition like this against a lot of good teams. You need that powerplay to work,” he admitted.
Loss aside, when asked about how he felt about the overall experience, the 40-year-old was pragmatic, saying, “I think it was a good game, I think it was a good tempo. Two really tight teams, and two teams that went for it and had chances.”
Of course, having chances is one thing, capitalising on those chances is something entirely different as Lundqvist noted when asked about how he felt losing in the Semi-Finals: “It’s a tough feeling but it’s part of the sport, part of the job," before concluding, "but you always want to win.”