A Trip To Norway - Storhamar

So why Storhamar? That was the question posed to me several times when I told people I was heading off to Norway to watch hockey. Indeed, it was a good question because it’s one without a simple answer.

My first recollection of Storhamar was from the old European Cup in 1996, when British Champs the Sheffield Steelers, were drawn with them in the same group along with HPK of Finland and Polymir Novopolotsk of Belarus. The tournament took place in the Finnish town of Hameenlinna and was memorable for the Steelers advancing further than any British team had gone before. There were also a brace of goals from current Whitley Warriors player/coach, and former GB captain, David Longstaff, whose first would go down as the greatest goal of his career. Collecting his own pass around the outside of a defenseman he unleashed a one-timer into the net to spark jubilation on the Sheffield bench.  This was around the time the Steelers had a ridiculously good side, with the likes of two-time Stanley Cup winner Ken Priestley leading the team along with GB legend Tony Hand.

Having taken a good lead, the Steelers then went on to lose 7-5 to a spirited Storhamar side, in what was a fiery encounter. Later that evening there were even reports the two sides were involved in a nightclub brawl as passions continued to spill over, off the ice.

For Storhamar though, that was as good as it got for that European campaign. A 1-1 draw with Polymir followed by a defeat to the host team saw the Norwegian champions finish third in the group and fail to advance any further.

However, domestically Storhamar continued to dominate. By 1997 they had won three straight playoff championships with further titles arriving in 2000, 2004 and 2008. Since then they have been frustrated as they watched their rivals, Stavanger Oilers dominate. The West Coast side winning seven titles over eight years including six in a row between 2012-17. But then last year the team from Hamar put a stop to that, winning their first championship in a decade and the seventh in their history.

Putting an end to the Oilers dominance was great to see and coincided with a time when I was really starting to follow the team, albeit from across the North Sea. Since claiming the championship earlier this year, Storhamar have gone from strength to strength. Club legend Patrick Thoresen returned after his stint in Russia with SKA Saint Petersburg and the side shocked the hockey world by qualifying from a tough group in the Champions Hockey League.

After a shoot-out win over Tappara of Finland and a shoot-out loss to Djurgardens of Sweden on home ice, Storhamar then faced a tough prospect on the road. With successive losses (6-1 in Tampere and 5-2 in Stockholm) things were not looking promising for the Norwegian Champions. But then all that changed in the final week of group games.  A trip to the Czech Republic, saw a narrow 3-2 win over Ocelari Trinec while a week later a resounding 6-2 success over the same opponents on home ice meant they would finish the group stage on 9 points. With Tappara recording back-to-back wins over Djurgardens the Swedish side could only finish with 8 points and therefore Storhamar had registered a historic achievement, qualifying at the expense of their much more illustrious Nordic rivals.

So with memories of 1996, and Storhamar enjoying a fairy tale 2018 having been crowned domestic champions and enjoying such a successful European adventure, there were plenty of reasons for supporting such a great team.

I contacted the club a few months back regarding the availability of tickets, as I figured it would be difficult to get into the CC Amfi arena to watch the Norgemester. Their reply took me completely by surprise though.

I was invited to be a VIP guest of the club and was made to feel very welcome by an outstanding and classy organisation. My seat was in the sponsor and media section and during a first period break in play I was introduced via the TV screen above center ice to the Storhamar fans as a visiting fan from the UK, to which I was afforded a very humbling round of applause. It was a special moment for sure and something that I will always remember.

The game started off at a frantic pace with the home side taking an early lead through Patrick Thoresen just 22 seconds into the contest when he shot from the blue line following a faceoff.

That lead was then doubled at 5:23 when Martin Ronnild found the net having slipped the pack passed the Panthers goalie.

At this stage it looked as though Storhamer were going to run away with the game as their passing was too quick for the visiting Ringerike Panthers to keep up with.

However, the Panthers got a foothold in the game at 13:40 when Max Pettersson fired a long range shot from the blue line which clipped the underside of the bar and went in. It was disappointing to see Storhamar give up a goal, but it was an impressive shot all the same.

That super-strike seemed to give Ringerike confidence and they duly tied it just over a minute later when Jonas Moen finished off a swift passing move that saw him beat two Storhamar defensemen to tie it.

Storhamar needed a wake-up call. They had begun the period brilliantly but had started to coast mid-way which allowed the visitors back into the contest. However, they were able to take back control during the final five minutes of the session.

At 15:36 Storhamar had regained the lead, when Joakim Jensen deked Ringerike goalie Vestavik twice before beating him on the near side of the goal. The Panthers used that opportunity to change goalies, Vestavik getting pulled and Kallio coming on in relief.

Storhamar certainly decided to increase the pressure before the first intermission, going close to scoring twice more. Mikael Zettergren hit the bottom of the post on the short side while a minute later Joakim Jensen attempted to finish off a lovely move, where he collected the puck, following a series of swift passes, and then almost walked the puck into the net at the far post.

The first period ended 3-2 to Storhamar, a scoreline that perhaps flattered the visitors, and had it not been for that mid-period lapse the home side would have been well in control by now, having outshot the Panthers 19-7!

The second session was a terribly weak period, with only a blocked shot registered in the first five minutes. That slow start was punished when Ringerike tied the game for second time. Petter Elefson’s goal might have come against the run of play but it showed if Storhamar switched off for a second, then the Panthers would capitalise on it.

Within four minutes Storhamar had a great chance to re-take their lead when they were awarded a penalty shot. However, Kjetil Martinsen couldn’t beat Kallio who was proving to be much more difficult to beat between the pipes.

Once again Ringerike had rode out the storm and gained confidence in not falling back behind. In fact, 30 seconds later, they could have had a lead of their own. A fast break saw them straight down the other end of the ice, but a great save by Storhamar goalie, Jonas Strand saw the deflected shot just go wide.

Despite being a difficult twenty minutes, the home side would still go into the third period with a lead. With 27.2 seconds left in the period Panther’s goalie Kallio hesitated on a Storhamar breakaway, and Robin Dahlstrom scored.

Period Shots 9-4

The third period saw neither side want to make any more errors as it would cost them the game. It was certainly a bit flat in comparison to the first period, with no more goals scored but Storhamar were certainly looking to try and extend their lead and avoid any late pressure from the Panthers.

Irving shot from distance, but a kick save off Kallio’s pads denied him. A minute later, Zettergren made a lovely move around two Ringerike defensemen then tried to fire over the goalie, but Kallio saved once again. Soon after that Jensen slipped a wonderful pass to Larrivee in a great position, but the puck came off the back of his skates when entering the slot.

Perhaps the home side’s best opportunity to extend their lead fell at 55:40 when some great passing between Patrick Thoresen and Victor Svensson around the crease created two great goal scoring chances.

Those chances arrived despite being shorthanded, and it felt like Storhamar were just playing with Ringerike, pulling them out of position with their fantastic passing before punishing them on net.

Storhamar probably were playing within themselves on Saturday. They certainly didn’t hit top gear during the game, but maybe they were keeping themselves for Tuesday’s CHL encounter with Skelleftea, and who can blame them if that was the case. The most important thing was getting the win and the points that went with it, keeping the reigning champions at the top of the standings.

For me, it was a pleasure and a privilege to visit Hamar and the CC Amfi arena and be welcomed so warmly by the club. I certainly hope to be back in the, not too distant future.

Stats

Man of the Match

#48 Markus Aas-Eng Mikkelsen - Storhamar

#28 Max Pettersson – Ringerike

Shots 36-17 (19-7, 9-4, 8-6)

Storhamar Line Up

Ringerike Panthers

86 Eivind Andresen - 12 Even Fosse – 23 Jonas Moen

72 Michael Soderberg (SWE) - 14 Jorgen Langdalen - 91 Nikolai Dalen

78 Anders Henriksen - 92 Kristoffer Melin (SWE) – 15 Marius Hansen

9 Dustin Parks (CAN) – 11 Miakel Hansson (SWE) - 20 Petter Ellefsen

 

17 Tobias Skaarberg - 16 Jonas Vestman (SWE)

47 Nils Fuglesang - 28 Maximilian Petterson

19 Kristian Kristensen - 60 Andreas Engblom (SWE)

26 Andreas Adolfsen

Goalies - 70 Henrik Vestavik – 30 Johan Kallio (SWE)