Janne Hauska’s 23rd season in the iceball Bandyliiga culminates on Saturday with the final match against Porvoo Akille.
The domestic ice hockey season culminates on Saturday with the final match of the Bandyliiga played at Kisapuisto in Lappeenranta, where the home team Veiterä and Porvoon Akilles will face each other.
41 years old Janne Hauska returned to his breeding club in Veiterä for this season from Mikkelin Kampparei.
He has won a total of five SM golds in his career. The end of the playing career is not in mind.
– Of course, it depends on whether the old man is fit anywhere next season. There is still a desire to play, Hauska laughs.
Janne Hauska shares his thoughts during Saturday’s final match:
The first hall is a wish
Janne Hauska, who has watched the development of the sport from the top of ice hockey for a long time, says that he is a little worried about the future of ice hockey.
The number of licensed hockey players has decreased since before the corona virus. Currently, the number of licensed players is between 1,000 and 1,100 players.
One key challenge for the sport is that there are no ice hockey rinks in Finland.
The private Aviasport Areena Oy has been building an iceball hall in Lappeenranta since 2021.
The company’s goal is that, in practice, the current Kisapuisto artificial ice rink will be surrounded by a roof and walls and a grandstand.
Last spring, the project ran out of government money and now a time extension has been taken.
– Of course, a little worried. We have to believe that the great species will stay and withstand this. It would require one hall to give the sport an extra spark and new enthusiasts, says Hauska.
According to Hauska, it would not be necessary for the ice ball hall to even go up to Lappeenranta. He says the main thing is to get the hall somewhere.
– This is hoped for, not lamented, says Hauska.
Veiterä is looking for a double championship
The past season has been successful for Veiterä.
In addition to first place in the regular season, the team also won the Finnish Cup.
The encounters between Veiterä and Akilles in the regular and upper secondary series this season were won by the Lappeenranta team 3–0. Once the teams played a draw.
The top success has surprised Veiterä’s first season as head coach Joonas Ylä-Outinen. The team has suffered one loss in the season.
– Our game has been developing all the time and the results have been in line with it, summarizes Ylä-Outinen.
– This is our third year in a row when we end our season in Lappeenranta. The previous two visits have ended in defeat, and within the team we have decided that there will not be a third time, stated the coach of Achilles Johan Lönnqvist under the final match in Bandyliiga’s bulletin.
For the final match on Saturday, more seats for the public have been built in the Lappeenranta race park with additional stands. Around 2,000 spectators are expected. The vip tickets for the event have already been sold out.
– There are a few butterflies in my stomach, even though I’m not the excitable type. According to what I’ve heard, more supporters of Akhilles by bus are coming from Porvoo. We will probably create a great event, says Ylä-Outinen.
The final match of the Bandyliiga will be broadcast live on Saturday at Areena starting at 17:45 and as a second broadcast on TV2 at 20:00.