Storhamar Hockey – Stavanger Oilers

Then it's time for the final of the EHL playoffs. The two best teams in recent years clash here, in what should be some interesting matches. Storhamar rolled over Vålerenga in their semi-final, while Stavanger easily got past Frisk Asker. Solid performance from both teams.

We have written a little about these teams before, but perhaps the most home team Storhamar. As we have said, perhaps has the most complete team in Norway in many years. They are also very solid at home in CC Amfi, where they, for example, waltzed over Vålerenga with a whopping 11-0 in one of the semi-finals. The audience seems a little blasé, and it never really caught fire among the audience in the semi-finals. We think that is changing now.

Because they like gold, and Stavanger has been a kind of archenemy in recent years. So this is quite engaging. We have faith in the home team and the home crowd in this one.

Storhamar – The best team.

As we have written about many times, this Storhamar team is one of the better ones we have seen on Norwegian ice. They have built an incredibly solid team over the last couple of seasons. Good goalies, good defense and good offense. It smells complete. We see no weaknesses in the team itself that can be exploited. They are probably their own worst enemies. Because if the effort is not at its best, they can of course lose some games. For example, they did against Frisk Asker on March 1st. But the difference between then and now is that they had nothing to play for.

We saw a fantastically tough team against Vålerenga in the semi-finals. They were bloody serious for 12 periods. That says a lot about this team and the winning culture they have created. They will probably be looking to get a good start here, as it can be important for the mental advantage, that everything can be decided on home soil. That is also where they feel most comfortable. So we expect them to deliver.

They only lost 2 games at home throughout the regular season. Which made them the strongest home team of all in the series. The team has scored the most goals of all, and conceded the least of all. They ended up with a positive goal difference of 126 plus goals. which is exactly 51 more than their opponent.

Stavanger – Has played in form.

Stavanger who finished behind Frisk Asker in the table in the regular season. Had no problems getting past the same team in their semi final. They won 4-0 in matches, which was incredibly strong. Three of the matches were still incredibly even, and after the first match ended with an incredible 0-6 victory, the next match was only won by 1 goal. Overall it was still solid.

The team has scored a little too little, and conceded a little too much, by their own standards. It also meant that the team ultimately finished third in the regular season. But the team looks better now, and we must honestly admit that they have impressed so much that they have made us think about whether they can put Storhamar in their place. We don't think they will be able to do it. But we see that this could be exciting. We think perhaps the only thing that separates the teams in the end will be the home field advantage, and the opposing team has secured that through their ranking.

What we also have to take into account in this assessment is Stavanger's terrible internal statistics against Storhamar. They have actually lost 9 of their last 10 games against the same opponent. After Stavanger won the first match this season after extra time, Storhamar has won the next 4, with 3 of these games being at home. This probably makes the Stavanger team see this task as difficult.

Conclusion – Home ground will be decisive.

It will probably catch fire in the first final match of the year. I know it is mobilizing in Hamar, after they received some criticism for the way the audience supported the team in the semi-finals. So here I think we will experience a bit of the atmosphere they are known for. They have helped to pull matches in the right direction in the past, and we think that can be decisive here too.

The internal statistics are also an advantage for the home team. So it will take a lot for Stavanger to come away with the victory.

The only thing we're a little afraid of is the risk of it being a draw and going to a tie. But none of the home games against the same opponent have done that earlier this year, and we think the odds are good enough that we'll give it a try.

Hockey at 19:00: Storhamar Hockey – Stavanger Oilers: Storhamar Hockey to win (1.75)