On Monday, HIFK presented its big picture of the whole season and rose through difficulties to a 3-2 overtime win over Luko and at the same time to the semifinals, where the Helsinki team will meet Tappara in the series starting on Friday.
Coach Ville Peltonen admitted that HIFK played two sets really poorly.
– This team is damn tenacious and is able to make such turnarounds, even though it has gone poorly at times. Today in this hall we saw a team that dared to play bravely and well at the push of a button three – or ten – minutes before the end.
– We have been through so many difficulties. These Lukko games were just like our autumn games. We dominated but we weren’t that effective. We have grown from these difficulties. This (semi-final place) was a big step for us. In these last three games, we kind of forgot what it was about us. Now little Huili and we have to catch up again, Peltonen said.
Lukko played strongly for 50 minutes, but then miraculously froze in a two-goal lead. The sixth quarter-final game also reflected through the team.
Ilari Melart and Eetu Koivistoinen brought HIFK to 2-2 with the last-minute hits, which were created while playing without a goalkeeper.
Speaking as a puck expert Juha Juujärvi saw that part of HIFK’s mahtikiri was due to the complete freezing of Rauma Luko.
– Shaun Heshkan jähy until that end was the biggest culprit for Luko. However, there was so little left in the game. HIFK took risks when Lukko, who was in the lead, did not dare to play his own game.
– Luko’s puck game was forgotten in the 3rd set and the team spilled the puck at the other end. The mental state, the fear of losing the win and the loss of the lead that seemed secure are the reasons why Luko forgot the basic performance at the end of the actual playing time, Juujärvi saw.
Luko’s coach Marko Virtanen was still after the struggle in his snakes HIFK Otto Paajanen from the legendary 3–2 winning goal
– Of the four wins that are played, the better or at least more efficient team at this point always goes on. 50 minutes of really good playing from us. A dramatic game with lots of chance.
Virtanen considered Heshka’s ice at the end of regular time to be the “minimum ice”, and wondered aloud if it was a two-minute game in line with the spirit of the playoffs.
– HIFK gained momentum from that (cooling off). Lots of fifty-fifty situations in overtime. First of all, was there a long puck – and if there wasn’t, then what happened in that (solution) goal. I don’t know, but it was very sad. If there were any mistakes in it, then I would hope that the judges would also start their summer vacation, said Virtanen.
Lukko controlled two sets, Taponen HIFK’s support and security
Rauman Lukko was clearly better than the home team HIFK in the goalless first half. Only the scoring made it worse.
– Lukko sees his own opportunity positively and plays calmly and courageously, notes Puhee’s puck expert Juha Juujärvi.
The red shirts were in some kind of cast and the pressure seemed to be solely on HIFK’s account.
– HIFK did not play the game it is capable of. Lukko was better than Helsinki in all aspects. A bad batch from HIFK but a great result.
Without a goalkeeper Roope Taponen saves Lukko could have led the match after the opening set with even two or three goals.
– Taponen kept HIFK upright. Many great saves from him. The best game from Luko in these playoffs. Now we saw the game with which the team dominated the series for a long time. Flow hockey worked excellently, only goal scoring was lacking, Juujärvi emphasized.
Lukko took the shots in the set no less than 23–7 and the team wasted, among other things, its two-man advantage that lasted more than a minute. A couple of times the puck hit the IFK post.
Kestner’s heavy fat
Lukko continued his brave and creative attacking play in the second set, even though HIFK’s defense improved from the opening set.
Miro Väänänen the cross stick was hit by Luko’s player Linus Nyman in the face in a harmless goal-scoring noise. At the end of the video review, the HIFK attacker was given a 5+20 minute penalty in 32:16
Luko’s crowning glory – a game of superiority – a poke and it gave the opponent a chance as well. Teemu Tallberg interrupted the visitors’ dominance spin and sent Koivistoinen through underpowered, but the Lukko keeper Artem Zagidul saved the Romanians in the situation.
Right after the IFK top spot by Josh Kestner the shot hit the top corner of HIFK during the big freeze, and Lukko deservedly took a 1–0 lead in 34:07.
– A completely personal performance, it was not based on any pattern. The bet was in the shoebox. It was such a good shot that Roope Taponen couldn’t do anything about it, puck expert Juujärvi estimated.
During shower command Lukon Julius Mattila your block Take Rantakariand the punts leveled out in the rink.
– It is perhaps ironic to say that it was good for Luko that their cooldown came during their own superiority. Despite the goal, Luko’s superiority has been painful, they play better with a draw, Juujärvi sneered.
At the beginning of the third period, HIFK’s wasteful Koivistoinen had a great chance to equalize, but Zagidulin stretched out to make a parade save. After the situation Luko’s attacker Niklas Ylitalo and defender Tomas Pavelka hit HIFK’s goal frame within less than half a minute.
Goal scorer Josh Kestner threw himself on the ice again, but the end result was surprising. Jere Karjalainen grabbed the game tool, stood up and passed to the attack with strong skating Otto Sompin to score with underpowered in 43.09. In the end, Luko’s 2–0 goal did not give peace of mind to the team, whose playing became fatally passive in the last ten minutes of the 3rd period.
Shaun Heshka’s high stick shot gave HIFK a chance in the last minutes. Coach Peltonen bravely took the goalkeeper Taponen off the goal, and the defender Ilari Melart crushed with six against four while playing to force a 1-2 reduction in 56.52. Just a few moments later, Koivistoinen scored again while playing without a goalkeeper to make it 2-2 in 58:29.
In the second round, HIFK was clearly better and hungrier. The momentum had turned. Zagidulin first made a great save Kristian Vesalainen and Paajanen’s goal-scoring attempts, but couldn’t do anything about Paajanen’s crushing goal, which was accepted at the end of the video review in 67.33.
HIFK – Lukko je 3-2 (0-0,0-1,2-1)
34.07 0-1 Kestner (Fontaine, Kainulainen) yv
43.09 0-2 Somppi (Karelian, Heshka) av
56.52 1-2 Melart (Rantakari, Koivistoinen) yv im
58.29 2-2 Koivistoinen (Nättinen) im
67.33 3-2 Paajanen (Tallberg, Dyk) je
Goalkeepers Audience: 7131
Taponen 9+ 8+ 5+ 0 = 22
Zagidul’s 2+ 3+ 9+ 8 = 22
HIFK won the series 4-2 and will meet Tappara in the semi-finals
Semi-finals program 2023
Tappara – HIFK
Fri 31.3. at 18:30 HIFK – Tappara
Sat 1.4. at 17.00 HIFK – Tappara
Wed 5.4. at 18:30 Tappara – HIFK
Fri 7.4. at 17:00 Tappara – HIFK
If necessary:
Mon 10.4. at 17:00 Tappara – HIFK
Wed 12.4. at 18:30 HIFK – Tappara
Fri 14.4. at 18:30 Tappara – HIFK
Lynx – KalPa/Pelicans
Fri 31.3. at 18:30 KalPa/Pelicans – Ilves
Sat 1.4. at 17:00 KalPa/Pelicans – Ilves
Thu 6.4. at 18:30 Ilves – KalPa/Pelicans
Sat 8.4. at 17:00 Ilves – KalPa/Pelicans
If necessary:
Tue 11.4. at 18:30 Ilves – KalPa/Pelicans
Thu 13.4. at 18:30 KalPa/Pelicans – Ilves
Sat 15.4. at 17:00 Ilves – KalPa/Pelicans
Ilves’ semi-final opponent will be decided in the seventh quarter-final match between Pelicans and KalPa tomorrow, Tuesday 28.3.