The fact that Luleå Hockey are in the CHL final should come as no surprise for those who have followed international club competitions for the past few years. This is the fourth year in a row they have made it to the final four, and their second apperance in the final.  

by Staff Writers

 In 201–13 Luleå won European Trophy and last season they were only a shootout loss from making it to the final. Before that, in 2011–12, Luleå captured the bronze medal, so it appears you can always count on Luleå being in the race for international club titles.

The word in Sweden is that Luleå have just landed a big sponsor that will help them build an even stronger team in the future, and maybe unseat hated Skellefteå AIK from the throne as the dominant club in northern Sweden. An important piece in that is getting Linus Omark of Jokerit Helsinki back to the club. Omark has admitted to SVT that Luleå have contacted his agent. 

Now Luleå have the chance to win the CHL tile. The final will be no easy game for visiting Frölunda Gothenburg, who are travelling from the other corner of Sweden. Luleå have won all home games but one in CHL. In the Swedish Hockey League, Frölunda have visited Luleå twice, both times for close games. In October Frölunda won a shootout game while Luleå won 1–0 in December. They have also played twice in Gothenburg – both time with Frölunda as winner; once in overtime and once in regulation.

In the final, Luleå will have to rely on their goaltending – Joel Lassinantti is actually one of three candidates to the NordicBet MVP Trophy. When it comes to scoring in the CHL there are many Luleå players that have produced 10 points, but nobody close to the 25 and 24, as the best Frölunda players have. The top Luleå scorer is 20-year-old Columbus Blue Jackets prospect Daniel Zaar, who has scored seven goals and as many assists.

“It will be really fun to play a final again,” Luleå assistant coach Stefan Nilsson said to luleåhockey.se. “We know each other well so there won’t be any surprises.”

The road to the playoffs wasn’t very dramatic to the club from northern Sweden. Five wins followed by a 2–0 loss to Lukko Rauma secured their place in the next stage.

There, it looked like the CHL adventure for Luleå would end early, but we witnessed a comeback for the ages in the eighth-final round. Luleå lost their home game to Red Bull Salzburg 4–2, so they needed to win by three goals on the road. After the first period in Salzburg, Luleå were already down 4–1 (8–3 on aggregate) and it appeared all hope was gone. But Luleå woke up in the second period and scored five goals to level the series. Each team scored once in the third period and the series went to overtime, tied 9–9 on aggregate. The 10-minute overtime period was scoreless and then, in the shootout, Niklas Fogström got the winner for Luleå.

“I had a plan and idea of what I wanted to do and I actually had pretty good self-confidence at that time, and when I saw that I managed to put the puck in the net it was a relief,” Fogström said after the game.

In the quarter-finals, Luleå faced Group K opponent Lukko Rauma again. This time Luleå won both away (5–2) and home (2–1). The semi-final against Swedish rival Skellefteå was another drama in two acts. The first game in Skellefteå was tied 2–2, then Luleå won their home game 3–2 to earn a spot in today's final.