Opponent spins superiority when Oskari Heikkilä gets interrupted. Heikkilä sprints towards the opponent’s goal. The next goal is very decisive for the match.
He has two men attack him. The ball bounces off the opponent onto Heikkilä’s forehead, but he continues to advance. From a small gap, there is a turning shot towards the goal.
The goalkeeper blocks, the ball bounces onto the field, the defender’s stick breaks, Heikkilä catches the rebound ball and puts it under the goalkeeper’s armpit in the bottom corner.
– It was pretty amazing, Heikkilä recalls his goal, with which Classic took a decisive 5–2 lead in the semi-final against KrP.
That goal reflects Heikkilä’s past season well. There have been many successes on the field and the stars have been in the right position.
Point record
Heikkilä has played a good season. He scored 62 points in the regular season and with that he took fifth place in the F-League point exchange. The previous point record (42) was a couple of years ago.
What explains a very successful season?
– No pop arts have been used, normal training and development, laughs Heikkilä.
However, certain things have fallen into place.
– Now I have been able to play on the right wing, which has been the number one position I have played in since juniors.
In addition, Heikkilä has been able to play the entire season with familiar chain friends. He says that he has learned to shoot more and take responsibility. It has led to goals.
Teammates appreciate Heikkilä’s work and play.
– This season has been a bit like that, all you’ve had to do is kick the ball to the right wing and (raise) your hands to the ceiling, cheers chain mate Eetu Sikkinen Heikkilä.
– If you get the ball in your own end, then you know that you can blindly turn it to the other end, when Osku presses through there from the end flank, if necessary, a defender Eemeli Akola comp.
According to Akola, Heikkilä is a guy who demands a lot from himself. It raises the level of others as well.
Classic’s head coach Juha Kivilehto says that points are expected from Heikkilä. The chain friends are the ones who should have power next to them.
And Heikkilä has answered the call.
– Now I can’t say that it exceeded expectations, but we are really satisfied with how he has played, Kivilehto reflects.
Floorball and football side by side
Heikkilä belongs to a group that can be called a two-sport athlete. He started playing football at the age of four.
The parents took the boy to Ilves district team Kaupparei. A couple of years later, floorball came into the picture and soon both sports could be trained on the same day.
In football, Heikkilä’s eye for the ball and endurance developed. They have also been useful on the floorball court. Futisen’s active playing stopped at the point when he was able to train with Classic’s league team.
What is fascinating about floorball?
– It’s a really fast sport, there are a lot of goals and goal chances and anything can happen in a short time. The victory can be escaped in the last seconds, or after a few quick goals, the leader changes quickly, Heikkilä sums up.
As a player, Heikkilä does not feel that he is the most skilled of all, but that is compensated by trying hard: he describes himself as an unyielding, struggling and fighter who plays for the team.
Heikkilä is a versatile player, as he can play in the middle of the attack and on both wings if needed.
Along with floor bandy, he got a new nickname, “Happi”. To a foreigner, it sounds as if the name is due to Heikkilä’s strong running power, but there is another story behind it.
A few years ago, a former Classic player Tino Salminen initially named Heikkilä “Hapettaja” because he used to grab his friends during training turns.
– We wrestled a little playfully, and Tino said that I took away the oxygen from the opponent. It has since been shaped into “Hapes”, explains Heikkilä.
Heikkilä plays in Classic’s five, which also includes him as attackers Eemeli Salin and Eetu Sikkinen. The defenders of the chain are Eemeli Akola and Toni Salminen. At times, Czech reinforcements have also visited the chain Adam Hemerka.
– There are always small changes if someone is sick, but we have played almost all games with the same five or six, says Heikkilä.
Head coach Juha Kivilehto expects strong performances from the five in the final games against the Oilers.
– A lot is counted on their pitching. They do have responsibility for that result and a really big role. They must be able to play at an even better level than before if we intend to win the championship.
The goal is SM gold and WC gold
Heikkilä has six SM golds and two World Championship medals in his trophy cabinet. This year there is another chance to increase the number of medals, as the Classic competes in the WC finals.
The Tampere team Classic has dominated the Finnish men’s floorball courts in recent years. Last season, there was a moment when TPS was able to break Classic’s winning streak of six consecutive championships.
– When we dropped last spring, we quickly turned our attention to what the corrective measures are to return the championship back to Classic. We have done things well so far, but the climax is still missing, says head coach Kivilehto.
Classic had a small advantage when the team was able to go to the final series after six days. The Oilers only had a day left to recover.
Heikkilä’s longer-term eyes are also on the upcoming World Championships, which will be played in Malmö next December.
– My dream is to represent Finland at the World Championships. I have had the honor of being there a couple of times. I haven’t got a gold medal yet, so of course that’s the number one goal I want to achieve.