Jukurit will start fighting for the Finnish championship during the season with a significantly intensified defense game. Top promise Aatu Räty says that a year at Jukuri will be of huge importance to her career.
Simo Arkko,
Jussi Saarinen
The regular season of the Finnish Ice Hockey League will end today, Tuesday. The matches will be followed in the Puheen Hockey Tour from 6 p.m.
Mikkeli Jukurit is struggling in the final round of the Finnish Ice Hockey League to win the regular season. In practice, the biggest sensational team in the Finnish Championship League may not be above, as the top two Tappara and Ilves will face the teams at the bottom of the series.
– The goal from a direct playoff position changed first to a home advantage and now to a regular season win. Why not us too? We are in the same race as Ilves and Tappara, the head coach of the Jukuri Olli Jokinen said before the HIFK match this weekend.
– As such, we are in a rather unpressurized state, but of course we want to rise even higher. That way we get better setups for the spring games.
The current situation, the battle for victory in the regular season, is a big surprise. Even before the start of the season, many frowned as Jokinen lined up for the Jukurei to reach the top six.
Few even believed in the Jukuri playoffs before the start of the season. The team has never played in the SML playoffs before. Head coach Jokinen had no experience in coaching adults at all.
The criticism was justified by the beginning of the season. During the first 15 matches, Jukurit played with less than one point on average and scored a lot of goals on his own. The number of hits in the first ten matches was 3.4 per match.
Since then, Jukurit has become sober. Jokinen doesn’t lift himself on a pedestal when he talks about the backgrounds of success.
He emphasizes players who are eager to learn and committed.
A theme familiar to Jokinen from the period comes to the fore. Hockey is a game for players. Coaching is for the players in the job, their servants.
After the difficulties of the autumn, many things have also changed. Jukurit has invested in a defensive game, replaced new players with new names, and acquired a few exact reinforcements.
One of the new players is the top promise Aatu Räty, which has shone as the main center of the Yukuri. Räty currently forms perhaps the most dangerous duo in the SM league together Petrus Palmun with.
Jukurit captain Palmu has finished in 24 matches with a score of 24 + 33 = 57. Räty, who moved from Oulu to Mikkeli in the autumn, has accumulated 13 goals and a total of 37 power points in 40 matches in Jukuri.
In the flies, the young man was left for a short time, and no suitable role was found for him. In Mikkeli, Räty has received credit and enjoyed playing again.
– Absolutely. This has been the best time for me in the Finnish Championships as a professional hockey player. Mikkeli is a nice place to be and has made a lot of new friends here. As the game progresses, it helps a lot in the rest of life, Räty says.
Räty says that Olli Jokinen has received fines for his daily work and professionalism.
– It is good that he has gone through the same things himself and knows what works. There is not a single magic word he has said, but everyday work has been good here.
According to Sentter, the Jukuri have already played a huge role in his development. Räty is heading to North America and New York Islanders next season. That is why, according to Rädy, it is important to have less than one really good professional term in Finland at the forefront.
– I had experience from lower courts and a little less playing time, but it’s good to play this too. When I go there, I’m ready for every role. The significance of this year is enormous.
Healthy self-confidence
According to Jokinen and Rädy, the spirit in the Jukuri booth has been good throughout the season. According to Jokinen, self-confidence has also increased due to victories and the development of the game.
– It is said that security has been found for playing and doing. The performance is at a good level from night to night and we have that kind of healthy self-confidence. We can play against just about anyone and win. It looks good, Jokinen says before the spring matches.
According to Jokinen, Jukurit is ready for the playoffs, especially thanks to the close defense and goalkeeping game. With the paint of Jukuri Oskari Salminen has played a sensational season. He has defeated 55 matches and won 29 times.
Salminen has resisted with almost 92 percent certainty. Even zero games have accumulated the most in the Finnish Championship League, nine.
– Our close five-point defense and goalkeeping game has been at a pretty tough level for the last 45 games. We have dropped goals below the average of two goals in the last 40 games. You play with those numbers every night on the result, Jokinen says.
Jukurit have been defensively defensive recently, but have also gotten aggressive pressure in every aspect of the field to their opponents ’toes. Jukurit has been exploited, and it has often been able to strike even decisive goals. Not everyone has been ready for this high-quality and well-thought-out bitterness in the regular series.
– We start by playing for the team and sacrificing ourselves, but still stick to our own way of playing. We have been able to stand on top of everyone in the game, controlling and playing our own, aggressive and active punch. When we stick to it, we also give ourselves a chance to make it, Räty says of the playoffs.
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Jukurit starts the playoffs with confidence and hard goals. The people of Mikkeli are applying for the championship.
– Yes, we have the opportunity to go anywhere. Of course we play for the championship.
– We are not content with anything else and we do not go to apply. Series and game at a time, but that’s our end goal, of course.
How will you remember Mikkeli’s time in years to come?
– Here’s through the rest and this can end no matter how well. But surely, even if the season ends here, there will be some great memories left. Hopefully there are still a lot of them ahead.
Jukurit will face Luko in the final round of the Finnish Championship in the regular season on Tuesday at 6.30 pm.