IF Björklöven continues its strong run and secured its fourth straight victory against AIK when the teams met at Visionite Arena on Sunday evening. The final score 1–0 (0–0, 1–0, 0–0) meant three crucial points in the hunt for the series lead.
It was former Djurgården player Daniel Brodin who became the match hero when he scored the only goal 10:33 into the middle period. AIK played a strong away game and pressed for a long time, but Frans Tuohimaa stood like a wall in Löven's goal and kept a clean sheet.
The match was also special for another reason – two brothers made comebacks on opposite sides of the rink. Christoffer Björk played his first match for AIK after over 300 days of absence, while older brother Marcus Björk made his Allsvenskan debut for Björklöven after his signing from Finnish hockey.
Marcus Björk, who earlier in the week said that "the heart spoke" when he chose to return to Löven, had a dream debut even though he didn't appear on the score sheet.
Björklöven now has four wins and only one loss in its last five matches, with a goal difference of 15–8. AIK has tougher going with only one win and four losses over the same stretch and a goal difference of 9–17.
With the victory, Löven stays at the top of the table and continues the hunt for an SHL spot. The next match awaits on Wednesday when the team travels to Oskarshamn.