JORDAL AMFI (Dagsavisen): Once again, Vålerenga lost a duel with Storhamar, and both coach Fredrik Andersson and goalscorer Mikkel Christiansen point to that very word as an explanation for why they lost. The duel game and efficiency.
– There are two things that decide the match today. One is the duel game, where we lose the battle for the loose pucks and the one-on-one duels all over the court. Storhamar are stronger than us there and get hold of the other pucks which means they get many more chances. They are also more effective than us, even if we have more shots than them, and then we lose, Andersson explains to Dagsavisen.
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“Disappointed” Andersson
He is also “disappointed” with how his team handled the last half of the game, after Vålerenga first came back and took the lead 2-1 in the middle period.
– The first half is good. Then we’re where we need to be, and it’s an even hockey game. In the second half of the match, Storhamar is much stronger than us. We cannot concede two goals in such a short space of time as we do at the end of the middle period. We simply have to do better there. Then they also have some shots they throw from the blue line that go in and we don’t, so it’s clear that the margins are not going our way either, says the Swede and continues:
– In any case, we are unable to take advantage of the fact that it is actually us who have the supporters on our side, and it is we who have the momentum in the match when we take the lead. I don’t have any good answers to why it will be like that now, as everything was going well for us. We play with a fantastic audience behind us, and invited to a party in front of a packed Jordal. Unfortunately, we were unable to handle the occasion today, says Andersson.
Goal scorer Mikkel Christiansen is also disappointed by the way they give up the upper hand in the match.
– I don’t feel that we are able to take advantage of the momentum we gain, and that we lose it too easily. We must be able to ride on what Storhamar brings and maintain that lead for longer. At the same time, it is better to have a loss like this now than towards the end of the season. It means that we have plenty of time to learn, so that there is no point in panicking and ending everything, but we have to learn from this and find ways to win these games, he says.
Read also: Vålerenga fought back in the season’s first classic at Jordal (+)
Christiansen, the outnumbered king
For Christiansen, it was another goal in excess, which means that he now has seven goals in excess and nine goals in total. That makes him the league’s overscoring king so far, which is poor consolation after such a loss.
– That’s a helluva result, so it’s always fun to score. I’m not going to lie and say I don’t think it’s cool, as my base game is not to produce points. So it’s fun to show that I have offensive qualities as well, but after a game like that it’s no great consolation. When the game tilts, we are not good enough in the power play either, so we have to learn from that too, says Christiansen.
Where VIF struggled last year with the advantage game, the team is clearly the best in the league this season. In return, VIF struggles more to score in five against five this year’s season.
– Now we shoot a lot more in the surplus, and it comes from more players than before, so that we always have good options in our surplus. That makes it harder to read, so the fact that Mikkel has already scored seven goals in the powerplay is fantastic. Then we have to work more on setting him up with that shot of his also in the five-on-five game, says Andersson and continues:
– In the five-on-five game, we may not throw enough pucks into the goal and take up positions in the goal yard to score goals. We have to get everything in order, then it should be fine, but we still have a lot to work on.
Read also: Partanen again ready for VIF after injury nightmare: – Seven long months (+)
Shall strike back at Hamar
Now there will be an away game against Lørenskog on Tuesday, before a new week ends with Narvik at home on Thursday and Storhamar on Saturday. This time at Hamar, where Vålerenga are eager to fight back.
– We have said that we want to win the league this year, and then we have to show that we can also beat Storhamar. Both here at home, but especially at Storhamar. We can’t go around talking about something complex, as we believe that player for player we have as good a team as them, and therefore we travel to Hamar with faith in victory, Andersson says.
Christiansen believes that both Vålerenga and Storhamar are entering an important week, considering that the teams meet again so quickly.
– It is clear that it is important to win these games against the best teams, but I still have faith in that team here. We have to find more ways to win games and if we don’t do that we have no chance of beating the best teams in the end, but I really believe we can. It is still early in the season, and there is a lot of hockey left to be played, concludes Christiansen.
Read also: Vålerenga shocked in Stavanger and beat the Oilers again
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Battle facts
Eliteserien ice hockey, round 17
Vålerenga – Storhamar 2-5 (1-1, 1-2, 0-2)
Jordal Amfi, 5486 spectators (sold out)
Goal:
1st period: 0-1 (10.06.) Austin Cangelosi (Martinsen), 1-1 (11.20) Tim McGauley (Partanen, Bonsaksen).
2nd period: 2-1 (29.38) Mikkel Christiansen (McGauley, Lepaus), 2-2 (33.57) Martin Rønnild (Salsten, Hurrød). 2-3 (39.17) Adrian Saxrud Danielsen (Helmet, Martinsen).
3rd period: 2-4 (49.07) Sverre Rønningen (Martinsen, Cangelosi). 2-5 (57.51) Cole Schneider (unassisted).
Shots: 34-32 (16-12, 11-9, 7-11)
Expulsions: Vålerenga 7×2 min, 1×10 min. Storhamar 6×2 min.
Judges: Jørn McCall Ekeberg & Roy Stian Hansen
Vålerengas ranges:
Goalkeeper: Tobias Breivold (Arnkværn)
1st row: Alexander Bonsaksen, Tommi Taimi, Villiam Haag, Mathis Olimb, Teemu Lepaus.
2nd row: Daniel Rokseth, Gabriel Koch, Mika Partanen, Tim McGauley, Jørgen Karterud.
3rd row: Kalle Ekelund, Linus Rosdahl, Sebastian Johansen, Pontus Finstad, Martin Røymark.
4th row: Herman Mowe, Didrik Nøkleby Svendsen, Stian Kaltrud Nystuen, Mikkel Christiansen, Magnus Brekke Henriksen.
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