The Frölunda Indians won their fourth Champions Hockey League title last night, further cementing themselves as the most successful club in CHL history. “This is what I play for, winning this was one of our main goals at the start of the season,” said team captain Joel Lundqvist after the match. The 37-year-old has captained Frölunda to all four of their titles and is the competition's most capped player.
But everything could have turned out differently, as it was Frölunda who conceded first in the match and they weren’t at the top of their game in the opening 15 minutes. Yet they were able to turn the game around scoring three goals in under three minutes to win the game with Max Friberg scoring the game winning goal “It was massive, I was really happy,” he said.
But where did they get the strength to keep going? Simon Hjalmarsson, now a three-time CHL winner, had the answer, “We never stop believing. We just keep fighting.”
These are the kind of games you want to play and will remember for the rest of your life.Simon Hjalmarsson, Frölunda Indians
The atmosphere in the sold out ČPP Arena in Hradec Králové was loud, intense and in Max Friberg’s words – “The way a Final is supposed to be.” Joel Lundqvist was also impressed, “you could really feel the tension, it was great.”
Hjalmarsson finishing with “the atmosphere was great from the very first minute, these are the kind of games you want to play and the ones you will remember for the rest of your life.”