Only 17:29 into the third overtime period - the sixth period overall - did Mathias Bromé decide for Luleå. It is the second-longest ice hockey game in the history of the Swedish Championship playoffs.
This means Luleå leads the match series 3–1 in the best of seven – and the fourth match between the teams contained the most action.
The goals came early, but from the away team Frölunda. The Gothenburg team took a 2–0 lead after the first period.
Luleå reduced the deficit at the beginning of the second period. But the celebration ended. After the goal, scored by Anton Levtchi, dramatic scenes unfolded.
Blood pool
Teammate Markus Nurmi had positioned himself to control the puck when he was hit in the face by a stick from Frölunda's defender Henrik Tömmernes.
The Finnish forward fell to the ice in pain, with a clear pool of blood beneath him. He was later helped off the ice, with a towel pressed to his face. Nurmi later returned to the game.
Tömmernes was given a double penalty (2+2 minutes), but with Luleå's goal the penalty was reduced and one of the penalties was cancelled.
Luleå equalized late and the match went to sudden death, just like the previous quarterfinal match between the teams. That time, Luleå won in the first overtime period. Sunday's match ended up lasting significantly longer.
Mocking referee gesture
In the first sudden death period, Luleå seemed to have decided the match. But the goal was ruled out after video review and the Luleå players protested wildly.
When the decision finally came, after over 117 minutes of play, Bromé was not slow to show his displeasure during the celebration. Mathias Bromé feinted past Frölunda goalie Lasse Johansson, put the puck in and celebrated by taking off his glove and repeatedly signaling a goal, like a referee.
"Yeah, but what the hell. The goal we score there in the first overtime is a goal any day of the week. But shit, the same," says Bromé on TV4.
Bromé has now decided two straight quarterfinal meetings in sudden death.
"Random situations. It could be anyone in there who decides. It's been me twice now, I'll take that any day of the week. It's really fun to decide," he says.
The next meeting between the teams will be played on Tuesday in Gothenburg.
Top five longest ice hockey games in the men's Swedish Championship playoffs:
Leksand–Färjestad – 119:16 (1997)
Luleå–Frölunda – 117:29 (2026)
Färjestad–HV71 – 117:01 (2019)
Linköping–Skellefteå – 116:23 (2024)
Timrå–Luleå – 112:17 (2003)
Source: TV4
