For the first time, Finland has been an absolute pre-favorite in the men’s hockey tournament and this has been reflected in the Lions’ play. Perhaps the final place will free up the Finnish players, writes Urheilun Joska Saarinen.
“Finland is a team without weaknesses,” Russian media Sport-Ekspress wrote ahead of the men’s Olympic hockey final. Similar comments have also been made by members of the Russian Olympic Committee team.
In Russia, the pressure of the favorite is pushed to the Lions, the Russians are left with the position of underdog.
This can be interpreted as spiritual warfare before the Olympics, but the message from the Russians is also true.
Finland is a favorite. It has been since the beginning of the tournament.
When the tournament is played without NHL players, the Finnish player material will stand up to any team, including the Russians. The Finnish team has more NHL and value experience than the Russian team, which of course has more experience from the top league KHL.
In addition, Finland has the advantage of playing style and coaching.
Jukka Jalonen is an experienced coach who has won world championships and has rubbed his way of playing in the back of his Finnish hockey players in Europe for the past four years.
So at least the situation is based on which Finland is considered a favorite. But will this happen in the trough?
In Friday’s semi-final against Slovakia, the Lions played poorly in certain areas. And at the same time, the team was able to do something unprecedented.
Prior to the Beijing Olympics, the Lions had never before entered the tournament as such a clear champion favorite.
In the opening match against Slovakia, Finland was in trouble with the strong pressure from the opponent. The Lions cleared the match with their better individuals. The next match in Latvia was a routine victory.
Against Sweden, the undisciplined Lions took silly coolers and set Tre Kronor on an escape journey. The rise of the third round from a three-goal loss to the levels was a glimpse into why Finland is considered a champion favorite.
The semi-final against Switzerland went from time to time into a defensive battle.
The semi-final against Slovakia was a mere survival from the second round. Finland either gave up – or had to give up – the puck control game typical of Jukka Jalonen. In other words, the Finnish players gave the puck too easily to the Slovaks. In addition, when the trap in the middle of the Lions (i.e., blocking the middle of the trough) no longer worked after the opening round, Slovakia began to carry out attacks one after another.
The semi-final revealed that Finland’s game advantage is not as great as thought.
It must be taken into account that the Beijing Olympics are played in a small trough, where Jukka Jalonen is not used to coaching. Slovakia was coached by a Canadian Craig Ramsay70, who has been playing narrow-pitch hockey in North America for more than 30 years.
On the other hand, it was an Olympic semi-final, in which Finland was an irresistible pre-favorite – a completely new situation for Leijon. It was a tough trick for Finland to go to the Olympic finals for the first time as a favorite.
Finland is an insane team to defend
The Lions have been very successful in two things.
There is a certain serenity in all that Lions do. Even if the team is momentarily completely pinched, the players don’t panic. Those who have been following hockey for a long time will remember the opposite examples from years ago.
The rise of the Swedish match from a 0-3 loss to the victory indicates that there is leadership and team spirit in the locker room. The team believes they can do wonders. Success probably welded the team even closer together.
Defensive play became a model example in the third round of the Slovakia match. The lions defended the center so effectively that Slovakia, who seemed to be in control of the match, did not get to the performances very many times.
The difference in the level of player material was reflected in the fact that Slovakia was unable to force the Lion to break. Then it will be practically impossible to win Finland.
The Lions have conceded just two goals in a tie in the entire tournament.
These things are typical successes for the teams coached by Jukka Jalonen.
Only the disc control characteristic of Jalonen is missing. Perhaps even the pre-popular pressures affect the players so that they do not dare to keep the puck, but try to play it safe. Or Jalonen has overemphasized the importance of defensive play for the team.
Admission to the Olympic final was a kind of minimum goal for the Lions team. The Beijing semifinals were like the semifinals of previous races – a match that will determine the success of the tournament.
Perhaps this will free the Lions from playing even more boldly on the puck in the Olympics.
The puck playing seen against Slovakia is not enough against the Russians’ hard defense.