This morning, Almtuna tested all players for covid-19, after two players received confirmed corona infection.

After that, the players got ready for the match, and had by 6.30 pm finished warming up on the ice before the match against Timrå.

Then came the message: The match has been postponed, which the speaker announced at 18.32.

CLIP: Here the players are forced to leave the ice.

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Almtuna – Timrå is set here - just before the drop Photo: TT Nyhetsbyrån

Opens for change

Erik Ryman, sports director of the Hockeyallsvenskan, followed the evening's round in front of the TV and at first had a hard time believing what he heard when he was reached by the message.

- At first I just thought: "There must be someone joking?"

But that was not the case.

We have had a route entrance that we will do during the day, and especially this morning.

But with the information we had, the doctors in both teams did the right thing, according to the protocols and guidelines we have in Swedish hockey - everything was followed to the letter, he says, and continues:

- But you see how insidious this disease can be.

None of the players had symptoms.

But even if all routines were followed, there may now be changes, due to the evening's events.

- We have to learn lessons.

We learn something new every day about this virus.

It's the same with this: We get to learn, evaluate and see if we should change the routines, or if we should have some other follow-up and how we should do with everything, says Ryman.

- With the result in hand, it was lucky that we did not start playing the match.

Then we might have had another team that had been infected.

So that we broke there and then was lucky in the bad luck, it was good that they did not start playing.

Both for officials, referees, Timrå and the remaining Almtuna players.

It is a very insidious disease, covid-19.

"Of course you are worried"

Compared to the SHL, the Hockey Allsvenskan has suffered relatively few corona outbreaks and postponed matches, but Erik Ryman does not hide behind the fact that recent developments are worrying.

- It is clear that you are worried.

Especially for the whole society, it's not just hockey.

You can see that there is a huge spread of infection throughout the country that we must jointly try to stop, because no one wants this development.

For the sake of the Allsvenskan, I am very worried that we will get more teams that get diseases, and that is not good for our league, he says, and adds:

- But we must look at the whole society and see what we can contribute to help reduce infection.

We have been a bit lucky so far, but it is starting to spread everywhere, so it is clear that you are worried about our league, and hockey in general.

As recently as today, the Swedish Ice Hockey Association announced that they are pausing the national junior series, and such action is not something that Erik Ryman excludes for Hockeyallsveskan.

- So maybe it can be, we'll see.

This is something we must investigate.

But this is not something we are discussing at present, he says.