SønderjyskE from the small hockey town of Vojens have won the last two Danish Championships in a row. They now vie for a third against Esbjerg Energy, with the winner qualifying for the Champions Hockey League.
by Michael Søvsø
VOJENS, Denmark – SønderjyskE Vojens are again part of the final series of the Metal Ligaen, which starts on Friday and the reigning champions have a big chance of becoming the first Danish team to score a title hat-trick since the classic Copenhagen club, KSF, did it back in the 1960s.
But Esbjerg Energy want to spoil SønderjyskE's hat-trick dream.
Coach Mark Pederson's team finished fifth in the regular season but has played the role of underdogs well so far, beating the fourth-placed Odense Bulldogs and first-placed Blue Fox Herning in the quarter-finals and the semi-finals, respectively.
Esbjerg eliminated Herning in six games, the final contest by a 10–4 rout in which Canadian forward Marc Derlago collect seven points.
Derlago has been outstanding in the playoffs, playing together with Andrew Clark and local boy Michael Binderup on Esbjerg's top line throughout most of the season. Clark collected 75 points (25 goals, 50 assists) in the regular season and leads all playoff scorers with 22 points, followed by Derlago with 21.
Esbjerg are well known for their strong North American players, and SønderjyskE will have to keep an eye or two on the technically skilled Scott Howes and defencemen Kyle Wharton and Wade Bergman.
Danish World Junior player Anders Krogsgaard has displayed his talents on defence, and everyone will keep an eye on Esbjerg's goalies, Japanese national team member Yutaka Fukufuji and young Nicolaj Henriksen. Fukufuji got injured in the semi-finals, so who will start on Friday in Vojens is still unclear.
“I guess the pressure is on SønderjyskE,” Esbjerg captain Sune Hjulmand said to Danish newspaper BT. “They are defending champions and has a lot to prove. We come from fifth place in the regular season and can play 'free'. That is our advantage.”
Esbjerg will have a hard time up against the fanatic crowd of SønderjyskE, Denmark's loudest.
The SønderjyskE team – Denmark's CHL representatives this past season – is led by Kim Lykkeskov, American Cory Quirk and Danish national team winger Thomas Spelling.
And not to forget Finnish goalie Joni Myllykoski. Since his arrival to the club, SønderjyskE have won 17 out of 20 games, including the end of the regular season and the playoffs.
Warren Peters, a former NHLer, came along in January and is as well an important part of the SønderjyskE team that also counts former Swedish Hockey League player Mads Bødker and one of the best D-men in the Metal Ligaen, offensive-minded Tyler Gotto.
“We skate well and we are a strong, physical team. We can worn down our opponent. We have some skilled individuals as well and a strong goalie. In a seven game-series we are a tough team to beat,” Peters said before the finals.
The final is a derby game, and the two teams are based just about an hour from each other. Big crowds are expected (Friday's game was sold out three days in advance) and the key for SønderjyskE will be to stop the attacking machine from Esbjerg. On the other side, Esbjerg has to prevent the routine and toughness from SønderjyskE.
The winner of the series will take the Danish CHL berth for the 2015–16 season.