April 13th 2019, playoff finals game 5 og 7
Storhamar vs Frisk Asker 2-3 FINAT OT
(1-1, 1-1, 0-0, 0-1)
Storhamar were the better team in the first half of the game, but couldn’t capitalize on the pressure. A couple of goals came out of it, but Frisk had answers on both occasions to tie it up. Robin Dahlstrøm opened up the scoring when he picked up his own garbage in the crease, and then Kyle Bonis equalized on a breakaway in which Oskar Östlund misjudged it and gave the Asker forward a chance to poke it past him.
Two goals also came in the second act. Mikael Dokken sent the Yellows up early on from the far post, before Christian Kåsastul took it back on level terms with a rebounder from the side.
Frisk were the better team in the third act and hit the plumbing a couple of times. Oskar Östlund also had to be sharp to keep them out. At the other end, Nicklas Dahlberg had an easy task holding off the hosts. The Yellows put on some pressure down the stretch when they got a powerplay. And in the dying seconds of the third period, Troy Josephs was on his way through from the side. Sadly he was desperately «manhandled» by the Frisk defence – without the referees calling it. A controversial decision.
The drama came fast in the overtime period. Storhamar scored 21 seconds into it, and the building rocked with over 6000 fans celebrating what they thought was a huge win for the home team. But the referees wanted to have a look at it, and after a fifteen (!!!) minute video review they washed it out for goalie interference, much to the big surprise and confusion of most of the crowd. Another controversial decision.
Then a couple of minutes followed seeing some chances both ways, until Frisk caught another break – when being two men more on the ice than allowed – and that much to the full attention of the linesman – without him calling it for some reason – and Frisk capitalized on it 20 seconds later. The Asker team thereby stole the game after another controversy. It was mind-blowing for Storhamar. It was a potential championship winning no-call – for Frisk. The game winner was scored by Bonis, his second of the evening, as he beat Östlund five-hole at the end of a two on one rush.
The Hockey Gods were on Frisk Asker’s side this day, and also with a little push by a neutral party. Three straight controversial decisions went against the hosts, two of them having result ending effects. Frisk are now 3-2 up in the best-of-seven series, and Storhamar have a mountain to climb to get back in the series, to force a game seven in Hamar. Game 6 takes place in Asker in two days, and the «Tigers» can hoist the Kings Cup in their own arena for the first time since the spring of 2002, a rush that most likely will propell them to a huge effort. And which team did they face in that game which took place April 2nd 2002, a game that ended 1-0? Storhamar!