Exactly the situation we want to be in. Now it's about coming up big at home and hammering it in, says Luleå forward Linus Omark to TV4.
A whole city, an entire county has been waiting for 29 years for the next championship gold after Luleå's first in 1996.
On Thursday, Luleå can redeem their supporters when the sixth championship final is played in Norrbotten.
We shouldn't think too much about the consequences. It sounds cliché, but one shift at a time and one period at a time. It's a good team we're meeting – they haven't given up, says Omark.
But Brynäs, of course, wants to spoil the party and then fix the gold party on Saturday at home, where a possible seventh and decisive final is played.
If Brynäs opened with a lightning-fast start in the fourth final – 3–0 after 14 minutes – Luleå made an almost equally good start in a heated fifth final.
Luleå's Dream Start
The clock had barely ticked to 23 seconds when Brian O'Neill made it 1–0 after a storming Luleå opening against sleepy Brynäs players.
The end of the period became even more spectacular with a tenth-of-a-second drama.
Defenseman Marcus Hardegård shot 2–0 when the game clock at Gavlerinken (now Monitor ERP arena) stood at 0.0.
After a video review, the referees determined that a tenth of a second remained of the period.
The goal came in a delayed penalty on the home team, and home players and the crowd protested, believing that a Brynäs player had touched the puck and the game should have been blown off and the penalty executed.
"Not Good Enough"
But the home team didn't have the puck under control.
We take the puck and then he should blow, says team captain Johan Larsson.
It was a clear goal, but the margins were on our side there, says Omark.
Brynäs dominated in the middle period, won the shots 15–5, and came to good positions – but Luleå goalkeeper Matteus Ward played outstandingly.
Overall, it's the game in front of the goal that decides. We're a bit wet in the game in front of the goal, says Brynäs coach Niklas Gällstedt to TV4.
Instead, Linus Omark struck and made it 3–0.
That fixed Brynäs in the beginning of the third period. Greg Scott and Oskar Lindblom took themselves in front of the goal and scored each a goal.
Then Luleå struck again. Brian O'Neill became a two-goal scorer when he got Isac Hedqvist's shot on his pants and Brynäs goalkeeper Ludvig Persson dropped the deflected puck.
A goal that was video-reviewed, but the referees deemed that Brynäs defenseman Axel Andersson had pushed in Hedqvist into the goalkeeper.
Shortly after, Markus Nurmi made it 5–2, and Mathias Bromé established 6–2.
Final 1: Brynäs–Luleå 2–1 after overtime.
Final 2: Brynäs–Luleå 2–5.
Final 3: Luleå–Brynäs 5–1.
Final 4: Luleå–Brynäs 3–5.
Final 5: Brynäs–Luleå 2–6.
Final 6, May 1: Luleå–Brynäs (14.00).
Ev final 7, May 3: Brynäs–Luleå (15.15).
