Hej allihopa! Natalia Rachman from The Ice Garden wishing you a happy Hockey Friday! Last week, Sally touched on the Svenska Damhockeyligan (SDHL) as a hotspot for Olympians outside North America, and with the league playoffs just getting underway, I thought there’s no better time to dive deeper into Sweden’s top division.
The SDHL is easier to follow than ever this season, with games readily available on the league’s YouTube channel. The next slate of games is set to begin Friday at 12 p.m. EST, with each team two games into their respective best-of-five sets. Whether you’ve been tuning in since the start, are interested in jumping on board for the stretch run, or somewhere in between — here’s how things stand in the first round of the SDHL playoffs.
Frölunda HC (1) vs. Färjestad BK (8)
Series tied 1-1
The defending champions taking on the most recently promoted team seems like a recipe for a blowout on first glance, but you’d be sorely mistaken. Färjestad’s played Frölunda tough all season, including a shutout victory responsible for ending Frölunda’s 15-game unbeaten streak to begin the season. To secure the final playoff spot, Färjestad made a number of second-half signings in response to then-leading scorer Katie Chan’s departure, with two of them (Karley Garcia and Madison Mashuga) finding twine in a Game 1 upset win.
With that said, Frölunda’s anything but a pushover. Boasting a litany of offensive threats led by league goal leader Elisa Holopainen, a strong defense that only got stronger with the midseason addition of Tuva Kandell, and Olympic hero Andrea Brändli in the crease, the reigning champs are the most complete team in the SDHL. At least, on paper. The 8th seed might just be Frölunda’s kryptonite, and even after dropping a nail-biter in Game 2, Färjestad are in a solid position taking a road victory with them as the series shifts to Karlstad.
Luleå HF (2) vs. Djurgårdens IF (7)
Luleå leads 2-0
When star forward Petra Nieminen went down with an injury early in the season, it was Luleå’s defense that kept the team afloat. Now, with future hall-of-fame defender Jenni Hiirikoski done for the season, it’s the forwards’ turn to take the lead, and they’ve delivered. Two consecutive 5-1 wins, headlined by five goals combined between Nieminen and Jaycee Magwood, have Luleå on the verge of the semifinals.
Djurgårdens took the least shots of any team in the regular season, and while they’ve done a good job keeping up with Luleå in that department, all they’ve got to show for it in two games is a pair of Madeline Posick power play goals. Their play at even strength is key for Djurgårdens to keep their season alive, especially since they’ve allowed the most shorthanded goals in the league while their opponents not only scored the most, they already burned them with one in Game 1.
“Becoming Caitlin Clark” is out now!
Howard Megdal’s newest book is here! “Becoming Caitlin Clark: The Unknown Origin Story of a Modern Basketball Superstar” captures both the historic nature of Clark’s rise and the critical context over the previous century that helped make it possible, including interviews with Clark, Lisa Bluder (who also wrote the foreword), C. Vivian Stringer, Jan Jensen, Molly Kazmer and many others.
Brynäs IF (3) vs. Skellefteå AIK (6)
Brynäs leads 2-0
Brynäs swept the regular season series against Skellefteå, and their dominance over them has continued into the postseason through two games. Neither set has been entirely smooth sailing, though, largely due to Skellefteå goaltender Camryn Drever. She made an astounding 52 saves on 53 shots against Brynäs in December to drag the game to a shootout, and she once again sent their matchup to extra time with 40 stops in Game 2.
Skellefteå, though, only mustered 12 shots of their own in both of those contests, which simply isn’t enough against a goalie of Klára Peslarová’s caliber. While recent Defender of the Year recipient Sára Čajanová and 2022 Olympian Mina Waxin have formed a stellar top pair for Brynäs, their blueline past those two has been incredibly inconsistent. If they’re to extend this series, Skellefteå needs to take advantage of the home team’s last change to create more favourable matchups, especially for their own Olympians Ida Kuoppala and Nicoline Söndergaard Jensen.
SDE HF (4) vs. MoDo Hockey (5)
Series tied 1-1
These two teams have been on a crash course for the vast majority of the season, and the resulting playoff series has not disappointed in the least. It didn’t initially seem like it was headed towards instant classic territory, as a hat trick from captain Mathea Fischer led SDE to a 7-1 Game 1 rout, and they jumped out to a fairly quick 3-0 lead in Game 2. However, tensions boiled over near the end of the second period, and the resulting line brawl put five players in the penalty box to begin the third. From there, it was all MoDo.
Already 3-1 after Italian Olympian Justine Reyes’ goal minutes before the melee, defender Courtney Vorster brought it within one with her first SDHL goal in 107 combined regular season and playoff games. Lovisa Engström and Mira Hallin, MoDo’s two earlier penalized players, scored the tying and winning goals, respectively, to take Game 2 in poetic and improbable fashion. If I had to give a recommendation for a must-watch series, SDE-MoDo is absolutely it. Playoff hockey at its finest.
Other news around women’s hockey
Inside Megan Keller’s whirlwind ‘Saturday Night Live’ appearance — Lydia Murray, The Ice Garden
PWHL sells out Madison Square Garden, TD Garden — Melissa Burgess, The Ice Garden
Stick Taps and Snark — March 3, 2026 — Nicole Haase, The Victory Press
WCHA Final Faceoff preview — Giselle Velazquez, The Ice Garden
ECAC championship weekend preview — Eli Fastiff, The Ice Garden
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