Leksand’s Peter Cehlarik sent the game into overtime with a goal that bounced slowly and unpredictably on the ice. Rifalk had plenty of time and prepared with his stick. However, the puck bounced over the stick and into the net for a 1-2 lead for Leksand.
”It was a loose puck from the red line that I was just supposed to play quickly. I made a mistake in that situation and didn’t have my body behind it, so the puck bounced right in front. We ended up in a bad situation and lost all our points there, so it’s definitely tough,” said Christoffer Rifalk.
Contract extension announced just before the faceoff
Teammates and coaches quickly came to support Rifalk, who had never experienced anything like this in his career.
”It might be the biggest mistake I’ve made in my career, but mistakes happen all the time and that’s the charm of hockey as well. But of course, it was sloppy of me.”
Just before the game, Rögle announced that they had extended Rifalk’s contract until the 2025-26 season.
”It was a close game with a disappointing end. It should have gone into overtime,” said Leksand coach David Printz.
