Lara Stalder owns the ice with four-goal night

A hat trick with a cherry on top.

A hat trick wasn’t enough for Lara Stalder tonight. After scoring three goals in the first, she put the dagger in Djurgården’s third period comeback hopes with goal number four.

The Swiss star is having an incredible rookie season with Linköping HC. Despite Stalder’s versatility as both a forward and a defender, Coach Madeleine Östling has been primarily playing her at left wing, and it’s paying off in dividends. In particular, Stalder’s chemistry with linemate and fellow University of Minnesota-Duluth alumni Pernilla Winberg continues to produce.

Stalder now sits at second place in SDHL scoring with 13 points and is tied with top scorer Michelle Karvinen with eight goals. With tonight’s victory Linköping sits neatly at number one in the SDHL standings with 19 points. Leksands IF sits in second place with 15 points. With today’s loss to Linköping, reigning champions Djurgårdens IF continue to struggle and fall to eighth in the league.

Linköping is back in action on September 30, when they travel to Stockholm to face SDE.