IN THE PICTURE: Carl Jakobsson was good in the game and the goal-scoring against Nybro, but then the rest were weak in a VIK that finds every way to losses. PHOTO: JIMMY GERDIN, VIK.se
VIK continued the free fall on Saturday evening when the 18th loss in the last 20 games came against Nybro (3-5).
The question is, what can objectively be done to prepare VIK for a qualifier that is getting closer? A qualification that is becoming increasingly difficult to avoid for VIK in the current setup.
FIRST PERIOD
Still tough against Nybro, longer journey than the visitors so bus tired team. Felt too. Loimaranta and Mylläri good for Jansson, on the return Loimaranta hit a hold in the air. Then Mylläri’s stick went off and 0-1. 0-2 after suspect defense Annborn. Timeout. Guay nice for Rosdahl but boom.
Myllari expelled. Lundgren fixed the PP and Jakobsson raked in the rebound. Loimaranta fixed another PP, but new mistakes there Rosdahl and Komarek. Jakobsson fine for Lawner, but the powder got wet there and the fine situation was put to the side.
As many as 9-4 chances to Nybro, Korhonen had to work. New trend with bad starts. Maybe learn to pick up instead of running out in the first 20 like so many times before?
THE SECOND PERIOD
3-3 before 3:ei chance-rich second period, full 8-7 chances Nybro 5-on-5. Guay fixed the PP and 2-2 after a nice pass from Jansson to Jakobsson who finally started netting again, good coolness there.
Annborn in a slump and new wrong pass and dangerous. Good zone time actually as the chain of Birgersson, Kvist and Sjögren starts to get going.
But Nybro came a little more after 10 minutes. Loimaranta lost quality and carelessness gave goal-scoring penalty Nybro, 2-3.
Hard rib shot Nybro directly at it. Jakobsson rode to a good chance.
Unexpected offensive finesse when Birgersson flipped forward a sandwich that Sjögren neatly pushed directly into the far post. Imagine if the width starts to mesh sometimes! New carelessness Loimaranta at the end and dangerous Nybro.
THE THIRD PERIOD
Kvist worked out a PP. But again carelessness, as against Vimmerby, weak Komarek who didn’t immediately work home either. Again weak PP.
VIK had a lot of puck and PP in the last period, but without creating anything significant. 2-2 chances in 5-on-5 in the third.
Rosdahl played himself up and fixed a new PP. But then Loimaranta, who was withered after the strong effort in Vimmerby, was careless.
Then Lawner took an unimaginably unnecessary expulsion in the offensive zone, if I had been the coach, he would not have played any more after this.
In the end it was 3-4 as expected when Jansson couldn’t get a puck out, and Mylläri was then unfortunately again too kind and gave up in front of his own goal and Nybro had to easily put the puck into an empty goal on the return.
3-5 empty box.
SUMMARY
Nybro won very fairly over 60 minutes. The guests won the chances in 5-on-5 with a total of 13-19 (4-9, 7-8, 2-2). VIK fans are so used to losses that many are probably numb, sadly enough.
So in the end, many are probably just waiting for the opposition to get their gift to net, so also tonight. That loser mentality has to go away in the team before the qualifiers. The only question is how.
Because of course there will be qualifying, right? Both Vimmerby and Troja are more on the move than an energyless VIK, almost completely without goal scorers, in a historically deep slump with 18 losses in the last 20.
There are only 13 games left for VIK now. Vimmerby and Troja are on their way to around 52 points. VIK has 36 today.
VIK must thus win 6-7 of the 13 that remain to be fairly sure of avoiding qualification. If nothing changes soon, it is very unlikely that this team will suddenly start playing “500 hockey” and start winning every other game.
So both to try to avoid a negative qualification and then to survive a possible one, powerful measures are probably needed. Heard this yesterday from an insider very close to everything in VIK:
“Would need a new voice, I think. Everyone I’ve spoken to today from early morning to late evening says the same thing: “There is a need for energy in the team”.
And the easy thing then is to change coaches, which Troja has done successfully. And if Peter Andersson hadn’t been just Peter Andersson for three years, he probably would have had to leave a long time ago.
But that is not the situation and VIK cannot afford to buy out Andersson. Then other ways remain, unless the coach resigns voluntarily and/or gets a more interesting offer.
Of course, the economy is tight. But it’s probably 50/50 right now that the team will play in Etta next season without measures. What wouldn’t that cost? So everyone in and around the association needs to pull together to improve the odds, if you want VIK to remain in HA.
And who knows if the association can handle a relegation with an already scarce economy. Maybe it will be a horror repeat from the spring of 2000 when VIK fell from the Elitserien to Division 2 Västmanland. This via a demotion and then the economy caught up.
However, it is a little worrying that the board took so much time to realize that the outgoing sports manager needed to be replaced. It was a sign of weakness in my world, if there are no satisfactory explanations. Hope they can make faster decisions now.
You probably need to free up capital to be able to do some player deals. There should still be some playoff teams that would like to acquire one of Komarek (there were bids last year, and now #67 has had a much better season), Lawner and maybe Rosdahl (in a tailored role like when he scored almost 40 points in the SHL). This is so that VIK can bring in new energy, money and better goal scorers instead.
But of course there are few people who want to come to VIK now, so you probably have to gamble a bit to shake things up in VIK before you become a corpse.
Maybe Niklas Johansson, after all on the payroll for a while longer, wants to show up one last time and check with his contacts in the ECHL if there are any goal scorers there that you can throw in? So maybe he ends up with something good? After all, in North America, this has succeeded quite well.
And maybe it’s possible to raise funds to buy Jesper Broeng (or another capable back/backs) and Sebastian Falk from Lindlöven? Does Lindlöven really have the means to bet against and be in HA?
***
Interesting that you have offensive back Emil Stadin in Hudiksvall. This one has 12 points in 18 games and +13. Of course because he might not have been HA-mature last fall, but VIK is crying out for playable defenders.
However, that loan is irreversible. Perhaps, with hindsight, it was a mistake to let Stadin go, the hindsight thinks.
***
The match then? Important that Jakobsson finally netted two goals and made a strong match with 8-0 in NP, a hope for #27 teeth now after a long slump. Rosdahl actually played an okay match with 6-2, must now continue. Guay also pretty good in that chain with 6-1.
But unfortunately, Komarek is suddenly completely out of sorts with 2-4 in NP – not good this time of year. The first chain was a combined -10 today: Komarek -3, Loimaranta -4 and Lawner -3…
Lawner as well (2-3), and the ejection late in the third was so incredibly unnecessary and could have cost the game right there. Loimaranta was also weak with an abysmal 2-5 in the NP and the Finn simply doesn’t seem to be able to last long at his soaring peaks, whether it’s mental or physical fatigue.
However, it is positive that the chain with Birgersson (5-0) between Sjögren (4-0) and Kvist (3-2) created a lot of zone time and fixed another nice goal. They need to keep working this hard and produce a little more so that VIK doesn’t end up in Etana.
I think Pantzare (2-0) is also growing into the Allsvenskan costume more and more regarding the physical game, Karlsson is a little more polished and has reduced the mistake (2-0). Svrcek still anonymous but he too with polished misses tonight (2-0).
But the downside still too adventurous. However, Malmström played his best match in a long time with 5-2 in NP, is active and really tries to work hard. Good heart and attitude of #21 who should be a rock as a person. Those with a nice attitude become even more important in these times.
Jansson also plays with heart, but tonight not as effective with 5-3 and involved in the losing goal. However, Jansson has deservedly received PP1 again as Annborn is out of form.
Mylläri somehow needs to become meaner in its own zone, too kind on the 3-4 goal. There you have to be tough in front of your own goalkeeper and not let the forward stand behind you and win the puck like that. Otherwise, Mylläri was faultless.
Annborn (2-4 with too many back-to-back mistakes these days) is also in a slump. When the young back is this worn out, or whatever it is, you would want smarter coaching so that, for example, Pennerborn got these minutes, so that 18-year-old Annborn can be fresh and then play his strong offensive hockey rested/semi-recovered.
The young Annborn doesn’t seem to be able to do it every night quite yet, and Andersson probably needs to be more active there. Speaking of stamina, Oschgan seems to be a bit out of the game, and then also a risk of wearing out Korhonen, who seems to have lost a little sharpness after nine straight in the cage now.
An alternative is also if you can already bring in the new sports director who can provide new energy. Heard that Jens Gustafsson is probably the main track, and this communicative man is free to jump in, both as coach and sports director? It would perhaps be something, if now all the references the board takes advocate for it.
The board also needs to get better at these key recruitments (club managers, sports director) historically, we really hope that process has been improved now and humbly ask all experts who can give input…
PUCKLIGAN
5 Carl Jakobsson
4 Henrik Malmström
3 Oscar Birgersson
2 Malte Sjögren
1 Patrick Guay
