Sophomore forward Sofie Lundin (28) and the No. 2-ranked Ohio State women’s hockey team begin their season on the road against No. 4 Colgate. Credit: Zachary Rilley | Lantern File Photo
Sofie Lundin, a sophomore forward on the Ohio State women’s ice hockey team, is always far from home, an entire ocean and more than 4,100 miles away.
However, Lundin has a bit of home on the ice with her every day in associate head coach Peter Elander. Elander, who is originally from Kristianstad, Sweden, and Lundin, hailing from Helsingborg, were separated by just 56 miles.
“We live minutes from each other [in Sweden],” Lundin said. “I’ve known him since I was 9- or 8-years-old.”
Lundin, who represented the Swedish national team in the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, said the move from Sweden to the U.S. wasn’t an easy one.
“It was very hard, especially my first year,” Lundin said. “The rink in Sweden is bigger than here, so I feel like that was the hardest part to get used to.”
Elander has strong ties to the entire Lundin family, as he coached Lundin at various women’s ice hockey camps in Sweden and mentored Gustav, Sofie Lundin’s older brother, connecting him with a high school in the U.S.
“Peter is a safe spot for Sofie in the U.S.,” Gustav Lundin said.
Sofie Lundin’s abilities were easily noticed by high-level coaches like Elander early in her hockey career, Gustav Lundin said.
“She was able to compete with the boys, so I thought that was pretty special,” Gustav Lundin said. “I think she was playing with the boys until she was around 15.”
Sofie Lundin said she relies on Gustav Lundin for emotional support and advice, especially as she goes through the rigors of competing on a championship-caliber team while balancing her health science major coursework.
“It’s good to have him to talk to if I have questions about school and hockey,” Sofie Lundin said. “It’s always good to have someone there.”
As the only hockey player from Sweden on the team and lone skater from the entire Eastern Hemisphere, Sofie Lundin said she appreciates Elander and the language connection they share.
“You can speak Swedish sometimes, which is nice,” Sofie Lundin said. “You can let your brain rest for 10 minutes.”
Another connection links the two: culture.
“We have our celebrations for the month of Lent where we have special bakeries, or around Christmas time we have special food,” Elander said. “I think when you don’t have it all the time, you miss it, and I think Sofie and I are in the same boat.”
From being an Olympian to now representing Ohio State on the ice, Elander said the transition for Sofie Lundin wasn’t easy but was worth it.
“It was a big step going to the rigorous schedule of being a university student and a player with all of the demands,” Elander said. “But I think last year at the Olympics, she touched on her abilities.”
Elander has made an impact on nearly every level of women’s ice hockey, coaching the Denmark national team in the 2022 Winter Olympics and leading the Swedish national team for nine years between 2000 and 2009.
With connections inside and outside the rink, Elander said there is a heartfelt relationship between the two.
“I am there for Sofie as much as I can be,” Elander said. “These players feel like one of your daughters.”
