Luleå Hockey secured a 6-4 victory over Malmö Redhawks in a hard-fought SHL match, highlighted by a dominant first period and a late empty-net goal from Brian O’Neill. The game featured an injury scare for Luleå defenseman Oskari Laaksonen, who returned after a head check. O’Neill praised the team's performance as their best since his arrival.
Luleå Hockey produced one of their strongest showings of the season in a 6-4 win against Malmö Redhawks at Malmö Arena. The visitors dominated the opening period, scoring three unanswered goals on 13 shots to Malmö's two, taking a 3-0 lead. Center Brian O’Neill, in his second season with Luleå after helping them win the Swedish championship last year, called it “the best period I’ve seen since I came to Luleå” in a TV4 interview.
Malmö mounted a comeback, narrowing the gap to 4-5 with about three minutes remaining. They pulled their goalie for an extra attacker, but O’Neill sealed the win with an empty-net goal to make it 4-6. “Five on five, very good. Mostly everything very good. If we can play like this, we can win against anyone,” O’Neill said. He highlighted contributions from all four lines and improvements in handling turnovers, issues that had plagued the team earlier.
The match included a concerning moment when Luleå defenseman Oskari Laaksonen was hit in the head by Malmö forward Kalle Hemström, raising fears of a concussion. Laaksonen left the ice under his own power with no immediate penalty called, prompting captain Erik Gustafsson to protest to the officials. Remarkably, he returned later as Malmö closed to 4-5.
O’Neill addressed Luleå’s challenging season post-championship, attributing struggles to a typical “hangover” with poor offense and special teams. However, a strong road trip—including a 3-0 CHL win over Ilves in Tampere, 3-1 against Växjö on Thursday, and this victory—provided momentum. “It gives us belief, but we must play the right way for the playoffs. This stretch is a step in the right direction,” he noted.
