SHL Finals: Skelleftea Beat Rogle 4-1 in Game 1

Skelleftea score late in all 3 periods to win SHL finals opener

 Skelleftea’s home playoff streak outlasts Rogle’s road run in SHL Finals opener. Rogle’s penalty trouble proves costly in 4-1 Game 1 loss.

Rogle undone by penalties as Skelleftea take 1-0 SHL finals lead...

Regular-season winners Skelleftea struck first in their Le Mat Trophy series with Rogle, taking Game 1 of the Swedish Hockey League playoff finals 4-1.

Something had to break in the Game 1 clash in Vasterbotten County. Skelleftea entered on a six-game home playoff win streak, while Rogle arrived with five straight playoff road victories.

The matchup was also a rematch of the 2024 finals, where Skelleftea opened with a 1-0 win. History looked set to repeat after the first period, with the home side carrying a slim lead into the break.

Outshooting Rogle by more than double in the first 20 minutes, Skelleftea deserved their lead. It finally came in the 19th minute after sustained pressure - Mikkel Aagaard dropped the puck back for Rickard Hugg to fire home with a quick release.

But a repeat of the 1-0 opener from two years ago wasn’t on the cards. A hooking penalty on Arvid Lundberg in the first minute of the second period erased Skelleftea’s good work. On the powerplay, Calle Sjalin and Anton Bengtsson split the defense to set up Leon Bristedt for the equalizer.

 

From the midway point of the period onward, Rogle’s discipline slipped. After taking four penalties in nine minutes, they were finally punished by Skelleftea - Oscar Lindberg’s pass deflected off Oliver Okuliar and into the top corner with a minute left in the period.

 

Rogle hit the crossbar in the third and came agonizingly close to an equalizer. Instead, they conceded a decisive third with under three minutes left - Par Lindholm stole possession and finished unassisted.

After Rogle pulled the goalie, Skelleftea capped it off with another goal in the 19th minute - making it three straight periods. Lindberg set up Victor Stjernborg for the empty-netter to seal a 4-1 win.

Skellefteå återtar ledningen när Oliver Okuliar styr in pucken i powerplay! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/rTRjjdYdDT

— SHL.se (@SHLse) April 23, 2026

Rogle will look to respond in Game 2 on Saturday the 23rd before the series shifts south to Angelholm for Game 3.

 Skelleftea beat Rogle 4-1 in SHL Finals Game 1. Regular season champs score in 19th minute of all three periods to take 1-0 Le Mat Trophy series lead.