The more efficient and skilled Ilves won the fifth and decisive quarter-final with 3-2 goals, advancing to the semi-finals with a 4-1 victory. Ässät hit everything and played by far their best Tampere game in the series, even though the match was the team’s ninth in 14 days.
– Ässät started and especially finished the match well, but tripped over unnecessary freezes and bad understrength. Fallen Ässät with boots on his feet grated, tore and ranted. The equalizer was a centimeter or two away, stated the puck expert Juha Juujärvi.
The match culminated dramatically in the final moments of the third set, which Ilves held on to with precision, also needing luck for the fourth tie.
With Ilves leading the match 3–2 Petri Kontiola incredibly lifted the puck into the stands in his own end, when Ilves was playing during the postponed penalty and was getting the upper hand in the situation. From Konkari striker in 56.50 for delaying the game to an exceptional position, which offered another big straw for Äss.
When playing without a goalkeeper, Ässät even got the puck into the goal, but it was not accepted at the end of the video review.
Jesse Joensuu played to the end of the situation. The puck was left rolling on Ilves’ goal line, but Ässie’s Roope Talaja finally poked the puck into the goal with his hand, and it was therefore disallowed. A dramatic end, and the Ässie equalization was close to a centimeter. Even after this, Talaja still had one top spot to take the match to the extra round.
Aces took the shots in the final set no less than 20–2.
– I don’t think Ilves played with the win, but the mental pressure was intense. The result was good for Ilves, but the performance was not. The team has a lot to think about in terms of the future. I’ve never seen Ilves so tame when playing five-on-five, where Ässät put the team – especially in the third set, expert Juujärvi thought.
Two overtime goals by Ilves decided
Tommi Tikka and Matias Mantykivi scored their goal with superiority for Ilves, Joona Ikonen fired his shot off the back post at the end of some fine play in the attacking area.
– The movement of players without pucks was completely different for Ilves than for Äss. Ilve’s bakery is even more versatile than Antti Pennanen HPK championship season. The material was completely different compared to Ässi, because Ilves has one of the best defenses in the series. In modern hockey, you always attack with five players, reminded Juujärvi.
Ilves won the first set 1–0 and the second 2–1. The third went to Äss 1–0.
Ässät started well, but Ilves vaccinated practically from the first point of attack. Cauldron Eemil Erholtz defiantly unloaded the puck into the stands when Ilves got longer pressure in the match for the first time in 8:47.
It backfired immediately. Tommi Tika all parade doors were open to score the season’s first playoff goal from a special situation. Eemeli Finland served a tasty pass for the opening goal at the end.
– The ladder had three meters of free space on all sides. Aces’ crown of sorrow – Alivoima – failed. Too much pressure for a puck player. Defender Rami Määtä went to give too much pressure behind the goal, but where were the Ässä attackers in the situation? They rushed too much elsewhere, slow reaction, the expert criticized.
Lynx Joona Ikonen was allowed to put the puck from the back post into the void, while the chain guys Eemeli Finland and Balazs Sebök did the preliminary work for a 2–0 goal at the beginning of the second period, in 22:51
– Modern area utilization of the attacking area. A great game goal from Ketju, praised expert Juujärvi.
The Aces hit a 1-2 tie on the very next exchange, just 49 seconds later. Virtuoso Jan-Mikael Järvinen offered Fly to Hämeenaho to the back corner to score a putt. However, the momentary pota frenzy bored you to ice.
Ilves took advantage of Roope Talaja’s sloppy ice and scored his second overtime goal in the match. Matias Mantykivi loaded the 3–1 readings directly from the pass in 27:52. Eemeli Suomi was plotting this hit as well. Mäntykivi has collected the powers 2+5 in five games.
Ässät got off to a great start in the third set and got some extra energy after succeeding with the upper hand. The energetic foursome of Pori residents by Niklas Appelgren in the lead got a special situation, where 18-year-old Ässä diamond Lenni Hämeenaho was wasted on the loose puck, beating the other in 42:31.
– Karri Kivi started with second lap power. It was a tactical, good move by the coach. The “dice-vitonen” superiority pattern brought results, described Juujärvi.
Ilves lasted the last minutes and moments just barely and also needed luck in the defensive battle for their leading position.
Ässät, who went on summer vacation, restored credibility in hockey to Pori, Ilves, instead, continues to aim for medal games. Earlier, Tappara had claimed the semi-final spot by defeating KooKoo 4–0.
On Monday, it will be played in Helsinki, where the quarter-final series is between HIFK and Luko in a winning situation 3–2. If necessary, we will still play on Wednesday in Rauma. On Tuesday, the SM league program features a legendary deadlock game, when Pelicans and KalPa settle for the semifinals in Lahti on Easter.
The 5th quarter-final of the Ice Hockey Championship League:
Ilves – Aces 3-2 (1-0.2-1.0-1)
09.14 1-0 Tikka (Finland, Mäntykivi) yv
22.51 2-0 Ikonen (Sebok, Finland)
23.40 2-1 Hämeenaho (Järvinen, Heimosalmi)
27.52 3-1 Mäntykivi (Westerlund, Finland) yv
42.31 3-2 Hämeenaho (Rohdin, Järvinen) yv
Goalkeepers audience: 11364
Langhamer 5+ 3+13 = 21
Rubin 6+ 8+ 1 = 15
Ilves won 4–1 to the semi-finals.