Last year’s champion team Oulun Kärpät is now in the middle stages of the league table. The problem has been the uneven course of the game as well as the injuries.
The Oulu Kärppi’s season in this season’s ice hockey league has been a little bumpy. There have also been victories, most recently on Tuesday Kärpät took the points when the league’s top team Rauman Lukko fell in Raksila with numbers 3-2.
However, the team’s ranking in the middle of the league table, seventh, makes both the fans and the team think that something needs to be done differently.
The head coach Lauri Marjamäki says that there are many reasons behind the team’s ineffective play, although he does not go into detailing them. However, he praises the players’ work ethic and desire to improve their performances.
– When you look at any statistics from the games, it always seems that we played really well. Many times, according to the statistics, you should win the game, but when there is a goal loss on the scoreboard, it’s a long way to win, says Marjamäki.
The end result has been several narrow defeats, even though according to game statistics, victories should have been achieved.
Kärpät has beaten many top teams in the league, but then there have been losses to teams that, according to preliminary estimates, Kärpät should have won.
Kärpp has also been plagued by several injuries during the season and, for example, new goalkeepers have had to be trained for the goal in the middle of the season.
Kärppi’s director of sports Harri Aho complains that some of the injuries have been specifically long-term, which is why it has also been necessary to acquire new players.
League teams have the opportunity to recruit players until mid-February. Harri Aho does not want to anticipate whether there will be other changes to the team’s composition than just acquisitions to replace injuries.
– Now let’s look at our playing and how that team develops the game. I do believe that this team already has potential, but let’s say this, that 15.2. then we will finally know what the final composition of the team is, says Aho.
Next, Kärpät will face SaiPa on Thursday.