The finals of the Ice Hockey Championship League start on Wednesday evening in Tampere at 18:30. Puhe’s Jääkiekkierros follows the match and all final matches on site. Wednesday’s broadcast starts at 18:10.
Tappara and Pelicans, the finalists of the Ice Hockey Championship League, met in the regular season Four times and the victories were divided 2–2. However, the last two meetings at the beginning of the year went to CHL champion Tappara. Tommi Niemelä the coach’s toolbox already has the knowledge of how the people of Lahti are able to beat the defending champion also in the Tampere arena.
The final series of well-rested teams finally gets going on Wednesday in Tampere. Tappara has tuned its patterns for nine days, Pelicans for six days.
1) Tactical choices
Hockey expert Top Nättinen in my opinion, at the team level, the most influential factor in screening the future champion club is the tactical choices of the finalist crews.
– Both teams have had time to watch videos and even practice those things. There are two tactically very mature teams facing each other. Tappara, in particular, has had a lot of time to watch what the Pelicans are doing and to think carefully about where to attack. The Pelicans have clearly played a short passing game. What does Tappara do about this?
Nättinen points out that Tappara does not need to change his ten-year-old template.
Tappara definitely wants to keep the two-phase in his game.
– Tappara has clear phases and rhythms in his own playing. We start by passing and slowly, finding the rhythm of the game, or we turn the game from possessions very quickly, especially if the possessions come in the middle area. The team also tries to switch with the puck.
When Tappara has puck control, the team knows when to unload the puck and when to play it deep into the opponent’s area.
Nättinen emphasizes that the players solve individual situations a lot personally, even though they follow the team’s way of playing.
In the case of the Pelicans, who are playing a strong follow-up pressure game, it’s about whether the previously seen courage of the season’s sensational group with the puck will hold up and whether the crew is still as active even without the puck when pressuring the opponent. In the offensive zone, if necessary, Pelicans transforms from a team with the puck to a team without the puck in one huff, and starts playing defense with lightning speed already at that point.
Tappara may not be able to easily get up with the puck from his own area.
– Pelicans should note that Tappara is also good in the short passing game. The Pelicans’ guts is the only way I see them to beat Tappara. They shouldn’t change anything, even if there is a bump in the road. The key point is which of the teams is better able to implement the chosen tactic on the rink, Nättinen underlines.
The team that loses the first final will be the first to think about possible changes to their playing. Especially if the Pelicans happen to lose the first or even the second game, it will be interesting to see if the team’s courage and belief will last after that.
2) Special situations
Tappara has only conceded one comeback goal in the playoff spring with understrength. The Pelicans’ dominance game, on the other hand, has been almost 25 percent.
Pelicans’ superiority has been a couple of notches better than Tappara’s previous opponents, so the Tampere’s iron Alivoima will face an even tougher poundage.
– A really big factor is whether Tappara’s understrength level remains the same. Namely, with that understrength, Tappara is really close to the championship, Nättinen sees.
Tappara’s superiority in the KooKoo and HIFK series was really effective, i.e. more than 36 percent. Although the Pelicans need to improve their understrength even more, as the people from Lahti did against Ilves.
– You don’t necessarily need to stare too much at the percentages of special situation games, because they have been formed against different teams, but they still tell about self-confidence. It seems that Pelicans may not have as strong a belief in their own special situations as Tappara does, Nättinen reflects.
In general, there are fewer special situations in the finals than in other playoff rounds. The referee’s line and the freezer balance are also interesting things.
– The Pelicans had a lot of ice breaks in the KalPa series, but not so much in the Ilves semi-final series. I don’t think it’s crazy to see a freeze, because both try to stay on the puck and play smart. It’s also not about one of the teams somehow playing physically all the time on the borders.
– The importance of individual superior and inferior power is emphasized, that’s quite clear. This quickly changes the nature of the game. You can be really happy, but if you get one advantage and score a goal, it gives you a lot of energy, describes the hockey expert.
3) Gambling of individuals
In the final, two successful teams with their own stories face off. Still, professional teams take into account their opponents and watch videos based on that and look for weak links from there.
How are chains played against each other in the finals? Will we see strict gambling or will we just trust our own stuff?
How the Pelicans plan to play Jori Lehterän against the chain? Will for example Sakke Hämäläinen chain to the rink at the same time or will the Pelicans still go to the game in the usual substitution rhythms?
These questions will be answered right from this evening. Attention will certainly be paid to individual situations, and to whether it is an offensive or defensive start.
– How Tappara reacts Lukas Jasek lead to the foreign chain and Iikka to Kangasniemi, in which chain does he play? In the last two Ilves games, Kangasniemi found his old, good Iikka in himself, notes Nättinen.
The starts also make a big difference. Jasek, who has grown into a great all-rounder, took on many important starts from, for example, Ilves.
In Tappara, all the starters have won at least half of their starts, except for the one who plays as a winger Walter Merelä (42.6%). The percentage of Lehterä who takes the most starts is 52.4.
The Pelicans have more variety. Elias Vilen has been excellent in situations (56.9), as well as Jasek, who takes the most starts (54.9). Lots of beginners again Joni Ikonen (42,1) and Sakke Hämäläinen (40.0) have been in trouble.
Ice hockey championship league finals / all final matches from Puhee channel
Wed 19.4. at 18:30 Tappara – Pelicans
Fri 21.4. at 18:30 Pelicans – Tappara
Sat 22.4. at 17:00 Tappara – Pelicans
Tue 25.4. at 18:30 Pelicans – Tappara
If necessary:
Thu 27.4. at 18:30 Tappara – Pelicans
Sat 29.4. at 17:00 Pelicans – Tappara
Tue 2.5. at 18:30 Tappara – Pelicans