VIF struck gold favorite Storhamar in series premiere – Dagbladet.no

Vålerenga got a perfect start to the season when they beat last season’s losing finalist Storhamar 2-0 Friday night.

Storhamar has impressed a lot in the Champions League, but got bogged down against hungry VIF players in series premiere of Hamar.

Espen “Shampoo” Knutsen men worked extremely hard and the victory was deserved.

Storhamar created on their side very little, although Vålerenga keeper Steffen Søberg denied him with a couple of class saves.

Jonas Oppøyen and Filip Gunnarsson scored the visitors’ goals, both in the third period.

– I think we’re playing extremely well. We win deserved, and they create nowhere near what we thought they were going ahead, said VIF coach Knutsen to TV2 after the game.

Storhamar chief Aleksander Smirnov was very dissatisfied with game.

– We are playing very badly. We were passive, lost duels and was not aggressive enough in front of goal. We play at about 60 percent of what we can, he said.

Judge Goof

The crowd had barely had time to settle in Hamar Olympic Amphitheatre before tonight’s first dramatic event.

Storhamar would get puck out of their zone, but it went to VIFs Tobias Lindström via judge Tor Olav Johnsen skate.

Lindström put the puck in the goal behind Robert Hestmann but Judge Johnsen annulled goal after using video refereeing.

It seemed like a very strange decision, a judge considered part of the game as long as the puck entered the goal of his skate, and goalkeeper Hestmann nor had control of the puck before it crossed the line.

– Cerebral haemorrhage. It was terribly resolved, said Judge Johnsen after the game.

Uncomfortable

The rest of the opening period was relatively steady, but a hardworking Vålerenga did the hosts clearly uncomfortable.

Nor in the middle period managed some of teams to score, but it was VIF who decided mostly on the ice.

There was nothing to say about it when they finally got holes on the boil seven minutes into the final period.

newly acquired Martin Laumann Ylven put real momentum into Storhamars zone and sent the puck in front of goal. There came Oppøyen, and carpet put the puck between the sticks.

– We do not have the playmakers we’ve had before, so it’s that kind of goal we are going to score this year, said the match winner afterward.

Storhamar tried as best they could to get back in the game, but struggled to create chances throughout the settlement through.

Instead ruled Gunnarsson game after he took advantage of an error by Lars Løkken Østli. The Swede came alone through, and the struggle cold between the legs of goalkeeper Hestmann.

(NTB)