Storhamar Hockey – Vålerenga IF 18-03-2025

We have reached the semifinals of the EHL playoffs.

The two sluggers Storhamar and Vålerenga meet in what is a classic matchup in Norwegian hockey. Storhamar, who play their games in CC Amfi in Hamar, has been Norway's best team by far the last two seasons. They have perhaps what must be seen as one of the most complete teams in Norwegian hockey of all time. At least in modern times. They won the series last year with 17 points, and this season with 16. Stability is precisely what characterizes this team.

Vålerenga, on the other hand, have their worst position in the series in many years. They finished all the way down in 4th place. You actually have to go back to the 21/22 season to find a lower table position than this year. It's probably no surprise that we're writing this, but the home team are the clear favorites. Maybe more than ever.

Storhamar Hockey – Focus turns to gold.

The feeling you have about this playoff in Norway is that Storhamar is its own worst enemy. Because if this team manages to have the right focus all the way, no team in Norway should be good enough to beat all the teams in these best of 7 game series. In that sense, a long bet can be nice for those who like it. You actually get nice 1.80 odds on Storhamar becoming champions in the end. Of the 4 teams that remain, they are the clear favorites.

As we mentioned in the introduction, this Storhamar team is perhaps the most complete team we have had in a long time in Norway. The team has scored the most of all teams, and conceded the least of all. That is a good recipe for how to win titles. 192 goals forward in 45 games tells of a team that loves to score goals, while 66 goals behind, tells that the team is also greedy behind the field.

At home this season they have absolutely wild numbers too. There they have 20 wins in 22 games, where both losses have come after overtime. So that means the team has taken points in all home games this season. This builds confidence. No team will like coming here. There is also little to complain about in form. 14 wins in the last 16, assures us that the game goes in favor of the home team.

The team has several profiles. But Schneider in particular has had a very good season. He ended up as the points king, with 64 points in 45 games. The American comes from several seasons in the AHL behind him. He still has a lot to go in the playoffs. He only has 1 point so far in the playoffs. We can expect more there in the time to come.

Vålerenga IF – The team has fluctuated too much.

Vålerenga has had a season that has been characterized by many fluctuations. If you take the last 10 games of the series, you see 3 losses, 3 wins, three losses and 1 win. This has been the case several times this season. Several times when we think the team has entered a good period, they have suddenly failed again. It has also created a lot of frustration and uncertainty. The team also ended up in 4th place, which is disappointing for a team that has higher ambitions than this. The team has been among the top 3 the last two seasons before this one.

Vålerenga struggled somewhat surprisingly against Sparta in the quarterfinals, but after game 6, they were able to settle down with the fact that they were through. We don't think the extra strain they went through in these games is an advantage, now that they will face a rested Storhamar. One away game in particular was tough. A game they led 3-0, before letting Sparta into the game 1.31 before the end. Sparta then decided 11 seconds from the end in the first extra time (20 min). If we look at the points captured, Vålerenga ended up 27 points behind today's opponent. The goal difference is also in the home team's favor. 20 fewer goals scored, and 33 more goals conceded says a little about the balance of power.

Their best player this year has perhaps been Haag, who impressively finished 3rd in points. He played 43 games and finished with 54 points. He has also contributed well in the playoffs already, and was an important piece in why the team got past Sparta, with his 4 goals in 6 games. But this opponent is of a completely different quality, and we will probably soon see a result that goes against the away team in this round.

Conclusion – The best team wins.

We have not hidden it in this analysis that it is the home team that we support in this match. The reason is simply that we are dealing with a team that should be much better than its opponent. If we look at the internal statistics, this strongly supports a victory for the home team. Storhamar has won the last 8 matches against Vålerenga, and we believe the same will happen again.

We therefore recommend the following games.

Hockey at 19:00: Storhamar Hockey – Vålerenga IF: Storhamar Hockey to win (1.80)