Pelicans doubles team Iikka Kangasniemi–Lukas Jasek answered two of his team’s first complete hits with superiority and led the Lahti crew to a 3–2 victory over Ilves. The semifinal series was tied 1–1 in Lahti.
– Steady rotation, where special situations made it possible to turn the game into a win. Our entire top five played well, and Jasek finished nicely. It’s good that there was more feeling involved now. It would be nice to play at a closer pace, but now we are training and on Thursday we will go to Tampere, Kangasniemi stated.
In the Ilves camp, it was admitted that the home team’s more effective play in special situations turned the tide for the Pelicans.
– It feels like we lost the victory. We were better in the long stretches of five-on-five. At times the game maybe got away from us, a lot happened in the rink, a colorful match. In the name of truth, I was exhausted from finishing, admitted the scorer of the second goal to Ilves Santeri Virtanen.
Pelicans tough defender Ben Blood received a shower command, 5+20 minutes in the first period after already punching Ilves in the sixth minute of the game Eemeli Finland from behind in the end position.
The Ilves player’s neck snapped ominously in the situation. According to Puhee’s disc studio, the situation was unlucky when two conscientious, different types of players played until the end of the situation. However, Blood gave Finland a little boost in the situation.
– An ominous and fast situation where the attacking player lost his balance at the end after being a little off the wing. The defender has to play such situations hard, especially when his own team had experienced a setback in the previous exchange, expert Jesse Saarinen reflected on the uproar on Puhe’s broadcast.
“I hope the discipline makes the right decisions”
Santeri Virtanen of Ilves said that the shower command received by the opponent brought a great emotional level to the match.
– The defender’s rivet certainly brought that feeling. That’s for sure, if this guy still plays in the future, we won’t forget it, and we won’t let it go by with a bump on the shoulder. We just have to hope that our captain (Eemeli Suomi) will continue and the League’s discipline will make the right decisions about it, Virtanen stated.
Ilves led the Pelicans at the time of Blood’s tackle Eetu Päkkilän 1–0 with a goal scored in 5:54. Henrik Haapala made the service point hit. The power point was Haapala’s first in the playoffs.
Ilves was unable to take advantage of the big penalty. Instead, the Pelicans gold helmet Lukas Jasek leveled the game at 1–1 in 12:31. Iikka from Kangasniemi decisive cross pass in a special situation.
Although the Pelicans played with only five defenders from the second period on, they scored two goals in the middle period to reach the final period with a 3-2 lead.
Jasek took a bit of a hit in the 2nd set when Petri Kontiola rushed violently at the end towards Jasek, who had his back to the Ilves player. Jasek was not seriously injured in the situation, and Kontiola survived with a two-minute penalty at the end of the video review.
– I think it’s a normal situation, not every situation can be dismissed. It’s good that it only came second, noted expert Saarinen.
In a moment Otto Latvala also went as Kontiola’s friend to the Ilves ice skating rink. Kontiola got off the ice, but only nine seconds later, the Ilves blazed away. A pair of horses Iikka Kangasniemi–Lukas Jasek scored the second hit of the evening – again with superiority. Jasek scored directly from the pass 2–1 in 26:09.
– Kangasniemi protected the direction of the pass until the end, and Jasek was able to use the one timer again, praised the expert Jesse Saarinen.
Pelicans defenseman Anton Myllari surprised from the front corner, from the side of the shield hand, the Ilves keeper by Marek Langhamer and gave the Pelicans a 3–1 lead midway through the second period. The perfect hit was Mittelö’s winning goal.
Ilves caught the grain of the game in the second half of the set and earned a deserved 2–3 lead in 33:41. Santeri Virtanen directed by Les Lancaster to the grid of the line.
In the third set, Ilves took the shots 19-6, but the tight end resulted in an unfortunate goal grain and Patrik Bartos too for defenses. The battle of the goalkeepers went to the Czech goalkeeper today.
HIFK earned a well-deserved victory and leveled the series at 1–1
HIFK deservedly beat Tappara 4–2 and leveled the semifinal series at 1–1. The next three games of the match series will be played in Tampere starting next Wednesday.
– Everyone threw everything into the game today. We have played well in two games and now the result was dug. Our game has improved all the time in the playoffs, the HIFK pilot was happy Ville Peltonen.
Walter Merelä was responsible for Tappara’s goals, both were born with superiority.
– Overtime goals don’t warm you up in defeat, only victories matter, Tappara coach Jussi Tapola acknowledged his team, keeping the only reason for joy.
HIFK pressed on already in the first period, even though it went to Tappara 1–0.
– Tappara is patient and efficient in his goal positions. Individual goal situations should be utilized, that’s how it goes in these games – especially against an opponent of Tappara’s level, stated Puhee’s puck expert Jesse Saarinen.
HIFK’s first ice of the match backfired when Tappara’s dreaded superiority made the away team 1-0 lead in 14:42. Walter Merelä squealed Roope Taponen from the save, the opening shot in front of the goal.
In the first half of the second period Mikael Seppälä got to the ice shelf when the HIFK player Roni Hirvonen pushed the Tappara defender towards his own goalkeeper. Tappara coach Jussi Tapola it was hot in the shed.
– I didn’t think it was a place to freeze. When you look at the slow-motion picture, Seppälä was pushed towards the goalkeeper Tapo, expert Saarinen understood the heat of the Tappara pilot.
Pakarinen ran over Heljango during the ensuing overpower, knocking over the Tappara keeper, but again no penalty was awarded for this situation. According to the Tappara camp, there was a clear displeasure from the judges.
During the Seppälä freeze, HIFK had its copper broken when Sebastian Dyk scored a 1–1 equalizer directly from the pass he was offered Julius Nättinen in time 26.39.
However, Tappara can also look in the mirror, as the winner of the regular season has taken a total of ten minor penalties in the first two semi-finals.
Mistakes for the Tappara players, HIFK’s exploitation game solved the problem
HIFK’s successful exploitation game gave them a 2–1 lead, and Micke-Max Åsten was able to finish Otto Paajanen from namu pass in 35:49.
Ten seconds before the end of the set, Merelä scored the second of the night with superiority, leveling the scores at 2-2 with a locker shot.
The third period lasted only 37 seconds, when HIFK took the lead for the second time. Exploitation game – this time Iiro Pakarinen strong drilling – caused by the Tappara star pack Valtteri Kemiläinen a fatal misstep. Julius Nättinen immediately shot his opening goal of the playoff season.
At the end, Pakarinen scored a 4-2 goal in 58:30, although the puck did not go into the net at any point. The HIFK striker was knocked down during a drive through, and when there was an empty goal in the Tappara end, it was ruled a goal.
– The game felt similar to Friday. Yesterday, however, it rained on us, while our legs were a little bit better today, says IFK goal scorer Åsten.
HIFK will next play Tappara as a guest on Wednesday, Friday and Monday.
– We go to Tampere by bus and always come home from there, revealed Ästen.
Pelicans – Lynx 3–2 (1-1,2-1,0-0)
05.54 0-1 Päkkilä (Haapala)
12.31 1-1 Jasek (Kangasniemi, Roine) yv
26.09 2-1 Jasek (Kangasniemi, A Jämsen) yv
29.01 3-1 Mylläri (Riihinen)
33.41 3-2 Virtanen (Lancaster, Masin)
Goalkeepers Audience: 4200
Bartosak 5+ 8+ 12 = 25
Langhamer 8+ 4+ 3 = 15
Wins 1-1
HIFK – Tappara 4–2 (0-1,2-1,2-0)
14.42 0-1 Merelä (Savinainen, Ojamäki) yv
26.39 1-1 Dyk (Nättinen,Salin) yv
35.49 2-1 Åsten (Paajanen, Berglund)
39.50 2-2 Merelä (Kemiläinen, Lehtärä) yv
40.37 3-2 Pretty
58.30 4-2 Pakarinen etc
Goalkeepers audience: 8200
Kill 5+ 6+ 7 = 18
Heljanko 8+ 8+ 8 = 24
Wins 1-1