Pelicans pilot Tommi Niemelä did not melt Jiri Smejkal’s run-off in the playoffs against KooKoo. In any case, Niemelä had enough to say about judging.
STT Sports,
Matti Lehtisaari
The reigning champion of the hockey league Rauma Lukko and the Kouvola club KooKoo took the first fixes from the semi-finals in the opening round of the playoffs.
KooKoo managed to knock down Lahti Pelicans 2-1. Joose Antonen took the visitors to the lead immediately in the opening minute of the match, and in the second installment Samuli Ratinen hit the KooKoo winning goal.
Pelicans was the topic of conversation in Lahti Jiri Smejkalin received a game penalty, which the Czech star received ten minutes before the end of playing time. After the start, Smejkal swept the referee of the match with his foot Hannu Sormusen overturned, and the attacker was driven out of the game.
– A completely incomprehensible judgment. It was clear from all the videos that Alexander Bonsaksen the racket pushed Smejkal’s foot to hit the judge. A gross mistake throws our best scorer out of a situation like this when he was still trying to dodge, Niemelä was amazed at Sport.
Smejkal received a 20 minute personal penalty, but Pelicans was not sentenced to undercutting.
By the way, Niemelä had a case for the referee’s action.
– I have to say that there were a couple of incomprehensible sentences in tonight’s match. It feels crazy that the big penalties that solve such matches should not be checked at this point, Niemelä gasped.
The Pelicans were sentenced to six of the second, and on top of that, Smejkal’s expulsion.
– The fact is, we sat too much in the box. It is quite simple that we need to improve the efficiency of our play, offensive play and superiority, Niemelä anticipates the settlement of the match series to be played on Friday.
Etelä-Suomen Sanomat reported in the afternoon that the entire playoff game was in danger of being canceled due to roof problems at Lahti Ice Rink. The hall’s ceiling sensors showed forbidden readings for a long time because of the snow on the roof, but the matter was finally rectified about two hours before the start of the match.
Lock and last spring’s champion Lehtinen left HPK to zero
The first playoff game between Luko and HPK was not perhaps the most bursting disc in Rauma, but the result was announced. Last spring’s champion in the role of long-time goalkeeper Lassi Lehtinen kept the score clean behind a well-defended team and Lukko scored the necessary goals. The scorer was 3-0.
The goals were waited until the middle of the second batch Harri Kainulainen directed by a defender Thomas Gregoiren bet over Daniel Lebedeffin. The jury blamed the hit on the video, but in the end it was found that there was no high racket in the situation.
Scott Pooley made a spectacular save. Gregoiren’s shot went over the bar The final installment was still seen when Sebastian Repo struck empty.
Kainulainen, the author of the opening and at the same time winning goal, was pleased that after a couple of weak games, Lukko was well on his way to four pitches. From his finish line, the man stated that he did not know what was being watched in the video.
– However, it was approved and everything is counted. It was a completely practiced pattern, “Höylä” Kainulainen laughed.
The second rounds of the opening round of the playoffs will be played on Friday in Hämeenlinna and Kouvola. The winners of the semi-finals will be decided on the basis of the combined wins of the two matches.
If the wins are equal after the actual playing time of the second round, it is the turn of the playoffs, which will be decided on a cross-finish basis.
SMLUBA LEAGUE, ROUND 1 ROUND
29.35 1–0 Kainulainen (Abt, Gregoire)
38.47 2–0 Pooley (Gregoire, Nyman)
57.10 3–0 Repo (Hakulinen, Ilomäki) etc.
Pelicans – KooKoo 1-2
00.43 0–1 Antonen (Ojantakanen, Nikkilä)
32.45 0–2 Ratinen (Seppälä, Strömberg)
37.43 1-2 Björninen (Kangasniemi, Laakso)