Finland beat Sweden after extra time 2–1 in Mikkeli.
21:11•Updated 21:24
Against Sweden it started, and against Sweden it also ended, viz Jukka Jalonen era as head coach of the Finnish men’s national ice hockey team in the domestic chamber.
Leijonat lost to Sweden with 2–3 goals at the beginning of Jalonen’s first head coach period in September 2008 in Helsinki.
On Friday evening, Leijonat beat Sweden 2–1 in Mikkeli. The match was Jalose’s last as the head coach of the national team in Finland.
Ineffective
Only eight of Finland’s 29 players during the second World Cup camp week in April have played in adult competitions.
One of them, Pekka Jormakka attacked in Mikkeli in a jukuri chain assembled to please the home crowd Patrik Puistolan and Konsta Helenius with.
In the second spring, those who waited in vain got their race passports stamped and were finally sent home from Tampere Markus Nurmi took a 1-0 lead in the opening set.
In the second set, Finland ran the dominance game with the usual ineffectiveness. In the third period, the trio led by Helenius created a lot of chances, but did not manage to score even with superiority. Sweden used its place when Tim Heed surprised the Finnish goalkeeper Lassi Lehtinen with the upper hand and stretched the game to overtime.
Ahti Oksanen scored the winner in overtime.
In the schedule
Finland has been the most successful national team during Jalonen’s second head coaching period, which started in 2018.
The World Championships 2019 and 2022, the Olympic gold in 2022 and the World Cup silver in 2021 tell the essentials about the level at which Finland has played under Jalonen’s command, especially in the ranking competitions.
Last spring, Finland missed the quarterfinals and medal games in the World Cup competitions for the first time since spring 2018.
The Lions will continue their search for a World Cup-worthy lineup next week, when they will face Sweden again, this time on the soil of their western neighbor.
The NHL’s regular season ended on Friday, so players are starting to be released for the World Cup competitions. According to Jalonen, GM Jere Lehtinen takes care of connections behind the rapako.
– There have been connections, and we’ll see what happens.
Is it possible that there will be NHL help even next week?
– Surely something will come. You could assume that, Jalonen answered.
At the beginning of May, the EHT tournament will be played in the Czech Republic before the start of the World Championships. Then it should be almost ready.