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After hip surgery in May, Mattias Sjögren returned to the ice in the victory over HV71. His return gives Rögle even greater depth on the front side.
– Surely the coaches will find opportunities to lock me in as a center, says the team captain.
Mattias Sjögren returned in Rögle against HV71.
SHL: HV71 – Rögle 2–3 (0–1, 1–1, 1–1)
The last time Mattias Sjögren played a match was the last round of the final SHL season on March 12. In early May, he had surgery on his hip with problems that prevented it. Against HV71 he was back on ice.
– I tried to keep things simple and get into the game. It goes much faster in the game and it is important to get into the routines and the goals that I will take on the ice. There I felt a little lost but it is natural. I felt more comfortable in the second and third periods, says Mattias Sjögren.
Rögle’s captain usually plays center, but against HV71 he was an outside forward.
– It works well for me. The other players are in it and I haven’t had time to train for so long. This was a great way to participate. Even if I start out as an outsider, they will find [tränarna] certainly opportunities to lock myself in as a center.
With Mattias Sjögren back in the team, the competition on Rögle’s center side will eventually increase. The club, on the other hand, has been looking for a replacement for Ted Brithén for a long time, without him arriving. After two initial SHL victories and five points from the new acquisition of Adam Tambellini, the need for a center has been illuminated by his absence.
– Those who played there have done well and it is a strength to have players who can play in different positions. The team we have is doing very well and we have good depth, says Mattias Sjögren.
The 32-year-old returned to Rögle for the 2018/19 season, but has not lasted full seasons due to injuries. Now that he’s back, he hopes to be more continuous.
– Starting today, it’s just honking and driving. It is clear that it has been a long period of rehabilitation, but we have taken all the necessary steps. Once you’re on ice it’s hard to know how to charge and we’ve done it right. “Fabrics” [Christoffer Alvengrip, fysioterapeut] he has done a good job.
What is the biggest challenge?
– It is important to highlight the explosiveness. It is difficult when you have had the operation that I did, but it is important to find a balance where it does not hurt too much.
How do you work to prevent injury problems again?
– It is never possible to work so as not to end there, injuries come because you play. This was an operation that was necessary because my hip was bad. It is difficult to prevent, if you want to play a lot it wears out. Hopefully I can be injury free.
Rögle took the lead in the early period of Adam Tambellini. HV71 equalized midway through the second, but just over five minutes later, Rögle regained the lead thanks to Samuel Johannesson.
HV71 tied again with less than two minutes remaining in regulation time and the game seemed to go into extra time from time to time. Then Simon Ryfors stepped forward and put Rögle’s game-winner backhand with a time of 18.32.
– It was a perfectly good match, we worked hard and created chances. In the third period, they took over and created too many dangerous situations. We got a little defensive, but we found a way to win and that’s a strength, says Mattias Sjögren.
