Hudiksvalls HC coach Filip Algeman unleashed strong criticism against the referees after his team's defeat in the Hockeyettan final against Visby/Roma. The team racked up 79 penalty minutes in the decisive match compared to Visby's three, allowing the opponents to secure a 3-1 series victory and promotion to HockeyAllsvenskan. Algeman demanded higher-caliber officials for such crucial games.
Hudiksvalls HC fell short in the Hockeyettan playoffs for the second consecutive season. After losing to Troja-Ljungby last year, they were beaten 3-1 in the best-of-five final by Visby/Roma this time. Despite dominating the regular season in Hockeyettan Norra with 38 straight wins, Hudiksvall could not overcome the final hurdle on Wednesday evening. Visby/Roma advances to HockeyAllsvenskan, while Hudiksvall must regroup for another attempt next year. The decisive game turned decisively due to penalties. Hudiksvall's Axel Levander received a match penalty for charging in the second period, creating a five-on-three advantage that Visby used to tie the score at 1-1. Later, Philip Eriksén was penalized for boarding, leading to Visby's go-ahead 2-1 goal with three minutes remaining. In the closing minutes, two more match penalties on Hudiksvall allowed Visby to score a 3-1 goal and an empty-netter for 4-1. Coach Algeman did not hold back after the loss, speaking to Hudiksvalls Tidning. 'We have to congratulate the referees. Congratulations to them, they wanted Visby up in HockeyAllsvenskan. Today, they decided the game,' he said. He added, 'It's a parody and shameful for Swedish hockey that it looks like this in a final series. We need HockeyAllsvenskan referees in such a final. That's become clear now.'
