Tappara beat Pelicans in the 4th final match 3–1 and leads the series with the same numbers.
Joel Sippola,
Jussi Saarinen
When the Lahti Pelicans won the third match of the SM league final series, it was hoped that the championship fight had come to life properly. However, Tappara, who led the series 2–1, were a rude away team in Lahti on Tuesday.
Kirvesrinnat won the match 3–1 and took a 3–1 lead in the series. The championship is interrupted on Thursday in Tampere.
Tappara didn’t have any big challenges during the match. There was no uncertainty in the game like the previous match.
– We learned from our mistakes and hit the gas. It hasn’t always been successful, but today relatively well, the best in the spring games Brother Matti Savinainen acknowledged.
– We were in the center right at the beginning of the game. I still think the game wasn’t perfect. In the next match, you have to play your best game if you want to come out victorious. However, a pretty good away game was completed.
Rude Tappara
Tappara took a 1–0 lead at the beginning of the opening set by Ben Thomas on the finish line. The Canadian player made a tackle in the second game of the series Ben Blood on. Thomas flew from the incident to the shower.
The goal was Thomas’ first career in the SM league playoffs.
In the middle of the second set, Tappara showed his blunt superiority again. Tampere’s second superiority didn’t last long, when Jori Lehterä wobbled the puck to a well-positioned Savinainen in front of the goal, who had an easy job of saving the game tool Patrik Bartos too to guard the goal.
Savinainen fanned his hit with devotion. This is Savinainen’s fifth career final series.
– If you score a goal in a match like this, of course it’s worth venting, Savinainen stated.
Later in the same set, the Tappara players were already celebrating their third goal. The puck went Maksim Matushkin from bat to goal, but the game had been whistled over. The goal was reeled in during video inspection, but in the end no hit was whistled for the situation.
After this, the Pelicans’ game faltered and Tappara got more control. Axe jerseys had a few good places to increase their lead even more, but Bartosak kept the Lahti people up.
The Pelicans came to the finals with a determined expression. It created long attacks and good scoring opportunities at the beginning of the set. The best place was seen after about six minutes of play, when Iikka Kangasniemi released by the Swedish striker by Lars Bryggman drive through.
Immediately after this, Tappara was rude.
Matushkin turned Tappara into the attack, the puck Petteri Puhaka and Waltteri Merelawho scored the Tampere team’s third goal.
Pelicans scored a good minute before the final buzzer by Tyler Kelleher by hitting The Pelicans gained energy from the goal, but it ended up being a thin consolation.
Heljanko in tune again
Tappara’s goalkeeper Christian Heljanko was in a safe game after one more difficult match. He made 18 saves.
– You can’t underestimate Heljanko with Tappara’s goal. He was followed by important booths, Urheilu’s expert Top Nättinen stated on Puhe’s broadcast.
The Pelicans couldn’t get over the previous match.
– It didn’t materialize here. The match was a blast, Nättinen summed up.
The championship would be Tappara’s second in a row.