The Tampereen Ilves, who are going from win to win, rose to the top of the ice hockey SM league, even though they have played fewer matches than other top teams.
Ilves beat KooKoo 5–2 in their home arena today. It has won all four of its matches in regular time and thus came to the top of the league on equal points with HIFK.
Ilves had a 1–2 loss at the beginning of the second period, when KooKoon Kalle Loponen and Samuel Valkeejärvi hit within a minute and a half.
Matias Mantykivi equalized and the 18-year-old Czech striker Ondrej Kos took Ilves into the lead with his first league goal. Still at the end of the second period Simon Johansson scored 4–2 for Ilves.
In the final seconds of the match Niklas Friman finished with an empty net for the final numbers 5–2.
Mikko Manner’s opening match became a thriller
Mikko Mannerin the first match as HPK’s coach was quite a rollercoaster. In the end, we were left with a loss after the winning goal competition. TPS winning numbers were marked 6–5. TPS Max Lindroth scored three goals.
TPS took the lead after just over four minutes. Swedish defender Lindroth’s blue line shot surprised the goalkeeper who played his 600th league game Sami Rajaniemen.
HPK got its chance before the middle of the opening set, when it was able to play for more than a minute and a half with a two-man advantage. There was no result, and eventually the two-man supremacy was broken because Teemu Rautiainen got suspended for holding onto the stick.
Right at the beginning of the second period, however, the visiting team succeeded. Only 14 seconds had been played in the game when Adam Brodecki brought HPK up to par.
Kyle Topping already took HPK into the lead in front of the goal, but a moment later TPS Otto Salin smoothed out. TPS took the lead again in the second set Aarne Intonen by hitting
In the third set, HPK emerged Olli Korhonen. At the beginning of the set, he equalized, and when the set had been played for a good six minutes, Korhonen put HPK in the lead with an underpowered shot. TPS lost the puck in its own end and Korhonen punished.
However, there were many more goals. Lindroth made it 4–4 with his second goal of the evening. Teemu Rautiainen gave HPK the lead again four minutes before the end, but Lindroth completed his hat-trick, so the regular time ended 5-5.
In the race for the winning goal, it became the decider Viljami Marjalawho played nicely past the puck to Rajaniemi.
The losing streak of the Jukurs was finally broken
A well-worn hockey saying claims that you can’t win a game from the ice bench. It’s not worth it to Ässi in the near future.
People from Pori took a strong lead in Mikkeli’s Kalevankanka with two goals at the 48th minute as Jukurie’s guest. Jukurit got level for the first time with a power play goal during the eighth two minutes of the Ässie match.
Jukurit broke its five-game losing streak Peter Abandonato with an overtime goal 4–3. Center Abbandonato returned to the rink from the team’s bout with the flu after one ice practice.
– We saw a tough fight in the evening. Aces was strong in the beginning. We had so much superiority that the game should have been decided before extra time. Let’s accept this victory, when the cases of illness in our team still don’t seem to end, comments the coach of Jukurie Marko Tuomainen.
The people of Pori have collected at least a point in all five games of the early season, including their two losing games. Away goal stick Lenny Hämeenaho scored two goals and increased his power points for the season to 4+3.
Otso Rantakari got the goal taps open
Sport and the Pelicans wasted scoring opportunities during the first two periods.
After the tense and goalless first two periods, the goal taps finally opened in the last twenty minutes, and Sport managed to turn the match in their favor with goals 3–1.
The opening goal was scored by a defender Take Rantakari from the stage, when Sport played with the superiority of two men. Sport’s second goal, which was the winning goal, was scored Sebastian Stålbergwhen there were just under five minutes in the Pelikello.
The defender who made a splash in Sport last season Atro Leppänen registered an assist for Stålberg’s goal and rose to share the top spot in the defenders’ points market with HIFK Luke Martin with. Leppänen has recorded 2+5=7 power points in six games.
Sport only took their second three-point pot of the season, but have not missed a single point in six matches. The early season of the Pelicans, who entered the season with the highest expectations, has instead been weak, and the team from Lahti has already suffered four consecutive regular-time losses.
Reid Gardiner sunk his old club
Moved from JYP’s shirt to Kärppi Reid Gardiner was the focus of attention when the teams met in Oulu.
Only 17 seconds had passed since JYP’s third-period tie at 2-2, when Gardiner sank his heavy and accurate shot past the JYP keeper Eriks Vitols.
Flies Austin Rueschhoff finished the final figures 4–2 just under six minutes before the end.
Gardiner, the leader of the goal exchange, has already scored seven goals in the five matches he has played. He has gone without a hit in only one match he played in Kärpi.
Wednesday was the second time Gardiner played against JYP in a league game. The first time was in HIFK’s shirt in the spring of 2022, when Gardiner changed clubs for the rest of the season. Gardiner managed to score in that game as well.
The golden helmet of the flies Teemu Turunen hit power 1+1 and rose to second place in the points exchange.
Series table