Finland’s under-20 men’s national ice hockey team lost to Canada 2–5 in their opening game of the World Cup.
Reigning world champions Canada were strong opposition for the Young Lions. Although two of its five goals were scored in the last set, the maple leaf jerseys were often clearly ahead of the Finns in terms of play.
Urheilu’s ice hockey expert Top Nättinen stressed after the match that the biggest surprise in Finland’s game was not the way the team played.
– What surprised me the most in the game was how the whole team seemed so anemic. The lack of enthusiasm shined all the way to Finland, and it’s really exceptional when talking about these games, Nättinen describes.
In this story, Nättinen highlights three of his picks from the match.
Successful opportunities, but many things fell through
Nättinen says right from the start that Finland had a chance to beat Canada in terms of the result, but in terms of the game, the team was a step behind in many aspects.
– Canada, on the other hand, was not at the level they want to maintain for two sets. In those two sets, I think Finland had a good chance to win, while Canada was not at its best.
– In the end, Finland fell really far short of its own top level, Nättinen sums up.
Playing for superiority, especially when it comes to winning, became really clear among Finland’s development targets. It is also linked to the look with which the whole Finnish team played.
Nuoret Leijonat had six superiority in the match, of which it succeeded only once.
– Especially in the tournament format, it would be vital for superiority to work. At the same time, it feeds the team’s top individuals if they make a result. Especially in the third period, in the decisive moments of the match, the superiority was extremely weak.
In Nättinen’s opinion, it’s a different matter if superiority is good, but it just doesn’t bring success. Now the Finnish scorers seemed mentally absent.
– That has to be fixed quickly in the tournament format, and in that the responsibility also shifts strongly to those individuals.
Exceptional U20 hockey
Finland’s best individuals did not reach their best level against Canada, even outside of superiority. According to Nättinen, the whole team seemed weakly charged and it was transmitted in many ways.
– Of course, it is the first match of the tournament and you have to give it time. Still, the best players got time with the puck through force majeure and other means. They know how to play and are top on the rink, but that enthusiasm should be dug from somewhere, he says.
Nättinen, who himself won the under-20 world championship in Finland’s jersey in 2014, describes that he always watches the games in question, expecting that the enthusiasm to be on the rink and throw himself into the game shines.
– In the race, you can usually see a certain arrogance of the players, throwing themselves and even an overload of emotions. Now everything was really quiet in Finland. There was no flamboyant bravado or frustration, goal-scoring fights or anything like that. Everything was really sterile, he describes.
All enthusiasm for the long-awaited games and challenging the reigning world champion in the opening game was missing.
– There was only the kind of “official game” played there, which has rarely been seen in the under-20 World Cup.
Healing or nightmare?
In Nättinen’s opinion, Wednesday’s match against Germany is a watershed for the team’s mental state.
– This can be a wake-up call to the fact that these are unique games and moments for players. After the first 48 hours, two games have already been played and we will start playing for the group standings.
He also wants to emphasize the exceptional nature of the games when talking about the World Cup tournament for under-20s.
– The players don’t have a change or a game to lose, that’s how unique the experiences are. If the understanding comes that you can and should throw yourself into this as well, the results will change. If we learn that steady jogging doesn’t work.
Nättinen also looks the head coach Lauri Mikkolan to lead the coaching team.
– When I looked behind the bench in the Canada game, there’s a lot of people looking at the light board and talking only to the coaches. The pumping up of the players, the tapping on the shoulders, the enthusiasm and the activity with them should come out.
So what is the nightmare option?
– In the worst case, the handbrake remains on for the entire tournament and the self-confidence of the individuals keeps getting worse and worse.
That’s why Wednesday’s game is so important in Nättinen’s opinion, and getting a good result is absolutely the minimum.
– I personally watch how the spiritual side grows. These players have enough skills to play well and succeed. But, if that mental state is as quiet as it is now… From the rink, even through television, it has to be shown that the players think this is cool.
– If it stays like that, then it doesn’t matter what is shown in the players’ meeting or what patterns of superiority are drawn.