- Eetu Koivistoinen: 2 goals for Luleå
- Mathias Bromé: 2 assists and OT winner for Luleå
- Luleå through to CHL Playoffs
With both teams’ Champions Hockey League seasons hanging in the balance, Luleå Hockey defeated HC Bolzano 3-2 in overtime. As a result, the 2014/15 CHL champs know that they will continue forward in the competition.
Eetu Koivistoinen scored twice in regulation time for Luleå, both assisted by Mathias Bromé, who netted the overtime winner.
Luleå had several great chances to open the scoring in the first period but Samuel Harvey – one of the CHL saves leaders this season – came up big on a few occasions. His biggest stop was a great glove save off Brian O’Neill on a breakaway midway through the period.
Luleå finally cashed in late in the period. Bromé capitalised on a turnover behind the net, then hit the goal post with his initial shot but Koivistoinen was there to bury the rebound.
Thanks to a string of penalties and an extended 5-on-3, Bolzano got a bunch of chances in the second period and it was Joel Lassinantti’s turn to shine in the Luleå net, particularly when he robbed Cole Schneider on a couple of chances in close.
Koivistoinen’s second of the game on a rebound gave Luleå a 2-0 lead with 4:50 left in the middle frame, but Matthew James Bradley’s one-timer on the powerplay got Bolzano on the board late in the period.
The great goaltending continued as Harvey made a couple of great saves off Luleå chances early in the third.
As time ticked away, Bolzano began to press harder and, with Harvey pulled in the late going, Shane Gersich charged into the Luleå zone and, after his spinarama backhander was stopped by Lassinantti, Schneider netted the equaliser on the rebound with 1:37 to play.
However, it took only 14 seconds of overtime to decide it, with a stretch pass by Frédéric Allard from his own goal line to the far blue line sending Bromé in alone to score the winning goal.