AJ Vanderbeck scored a hattrick to lead Södertälje to a 6-3 away win over Kalmar in the first game of their HockeyEttan quarterfinal series. The former Kalmar player celebrated his goals without hesitation. Kalmar fought back but fell short.
In the opening match of the HockeyEttan quarterfinals, tabellsjuan Södertälje defeated tabelltvåan Kalmar 6-3 at Hatstore Arena. Södertälje's AJ Vanderbeck, a former Kalmar player, was the standout performer, converting three breakaways into goals and driving his team's offense. He assisted in key moments and praised his linemates and goaltender Love Härenstam post-game, saying in TV4: “Ja, alltid skönt att vinna första matchen på bortaplan. Vi har full respekt för det här laget (Kalmar) men all tro på oss själva. Jag är stolt över grabbarna.” On celebrating against his old team, Vanderbeck added: “Absolut inte, det finns inget bättre än göra mål och i slutspel, och vinna matcher. Det är det viktigaste, jag bara gör vad jag kan för att hjälpa laget.” He cautioned that more work remains: “Vi måste vinna fyra, vi ska inte göra för stor sak av det här, utan ladda om och komma tillbaka starka på tisdag.” Kalmar struck first through Carl-Johan Lerby, but he received a match penalty for cross-checking an SSK player in front of his own net after six minutes, confirmed by video review. Commentator Albin Skur noted: “Vi ser vad han tycker om det,” as Lerby slammed his stick leaving the ice. Södertälje failed to capitalize on the five-minute power play but took a 2-1 lead shortly after via William Wiå's deflection. Kalmar rallied from 1-4 down to 3-4 in the third period, but Vanderbeck's third goal made it 3-5, followed by an empty-netter for the final score. Kalmar forward Gabriel Olsson expressed frustration: “Alla deras mål är i stort sett frilägen, vi bjuder på för mycket,” adding: “Jag tycker att sett över matchen överlag, bortsett det vi ger bort så ska vi vinna den här matchen. I tredje kommer vi nästan ikapp, men det vill sig inte riktigt.”
