Frolunda had been miles clear of the rest in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL), but after sealing their place in the CHL Final in mid-January, they proceeded to lose nine of their next 11 matches before coming up against Lulea in last night's encounter.
The Gothenburg side took the lead three times in the Final, but were twice pegged back, including by Otto Leskinen with only 17 seconds of regulation time to play. Yet, when Jere Innala struck in the fifth minute of overtime, there was no coming back for Lulea.
Getting Frolunda off the mark by scoring a shorthanded goal with an impressive individual effort midway through the match was Nicklas Lasu, who now hopes the CHL success can get their domestic season restarted.
"I hope this can give us energy," he told reporters after the match.
The Scandinavium had been a fortress for Frolunda for the first months of the season, yet the home side had lost five times in a row there before this match.
Winning a major final there in dramatic fashion was clearly pleasing for Lasu: "I am incredibly proud that we could pull this off, considering how it has turned out."
For his solo goal, the 36-year-old stole the puck in the defensive zone and skated away from the Lulea defence and through on goal, despite his side being a man down following a tripping call against eventual match-winner Innala. Was such a move on Lasu's mind at the time?
"I had decided early on and got a good result. It's a great feeling, of course," said the veteran.
The question now is whether FHC can take this result into the SHL and turn their fortunes around with playoff hockey just a few rounds away. For Lasu, it's all down to focus.
"Yes, I think we honestly know that we can play very good hockey. But everyone has to be as focused as we were today."