KooKoo grabbed the last playoff spot in the hockey SM league. HIFK got past Kärppie in the battle for sixth place and a direct quarter-final spot.
19:35•Updated 19:50
Koovola’s KooKoo won a huge battle for the 10th place and the last playoff spot in the Norwegian Hockey League. KooKoo sealed their place in the next round with a crushing victory over Turku Palloseura. TPS lost to KooKoo 3–7 on their home ice.
This is how HPK and Jukurit bounced out of the playoffs. HPK was tied for the next place even before the final round, but Ilves was too tough for the club. Ilves brought down HPK Aku Rädyn 3–2 in overtime.
Jukurit was also disappointed, for example Olli Jokinen On Saturday, the crew collected a full pot from Oulu’s Raksila. Jukurit celebrated a 6–2 win over Kärpi.
HIFK cruised past Kärppie to the quarterfinals
The struggle between Kärppi and HIFK for sixth place was only resolved in the final round. HIFK finished in sixth place and secured a direct spot in the quarterfinals.
An overtime loss in Jyväskylä was enough for HIFK, when Kärpät humbled Jukurei. JYP defeated HIFK 5–4. HIFK rose to 97 points and Kärpät remained at 96 points.
The playoffs start right away on Monday
The first round of the league playoffs starts right away on Monday. The match pairs are Kärpät – KooKoo and Aces – TPS. We go to the semifinals with two wins.
The quarter-finals start on Friday, March 17. The opponents of Tappara, who won the regular season, and Ilves, the runner-up, will come from the opening round of the playoffs, but certain pairs of matches are already Lukko – HIFK and Pelicans – KalPa.
SATURDAY’S LEAGUE RESULTS
Ilves-HPK 3–2 and
Aces-Sport 4–2
JYP-HIFK 5–4 and
KalPa-Lukko 3–1
Kärpät-Jukurit 2–6
SaiPa-Pelicans 3-4
TPS-KooKoo 3–7