In Lahti, Ilves roared into the ice gap of Pelicans no less than 7–1. Blood joined the ranks of the Pelicans today for the third time in his career.
Joined the ranks of the Lahti Pelicans for the third time in the hockey championship league career Ben Blood flew into the shower from whining right in his return match. In the third set, Blood beat Ilves in a 0–5 loss situation Jani Nymania hands, and after the video review, the American was escorted to the side of the dressing room.
– It wasn’t such a hard blow, but a completely unnecessary blow and in a dangerous spot on the wrist. The purpose was just to hurt the opponent and hit the hip or wrist area. The idea is a clear out, the act wasn’t necessarily that bad, Urheilu’s expert Top Nättinen stated in the Ice Hockey round.
Blood, 34, moved to the Pelicans for the first time in 2015, and during the first seasons in Lahti and Pori Äss, Blood accumulated more than 500 minutes of ice time. After returning to Finland from Cardiff, he joined Tappara, where he played between 2018 and 2021.
Blood returned to Lahti in the middle of last season, and Blood, who became a cult player in the league, played a big role when the Pelicans advanced to the finals against Tappara. The same comeback pattern was repeated this season when The Pelicans announced Blood’s end-of-season contract today. In the beginning of the season, Blood played in Germany in DEL league Löwen Frankfurt.
The evening was otherwise gloomy for the people of Lahti. The ice hall in Lahti was full of people, but league leader Ilves showed again why it is the best away team in the league. Ilves has already taken a historic 19 three-point away wins this season.
To the first chain Emeli Finland lifted to the spot Eetu Päkkilän led by a hat trick, Ilves ran away to a 7–1 victory. Ville Meskanen assisted four of Ilves’ goals.
– Impeccable performance from Ilves. Such a performance in a sold-out Areena in the league’s smallest rink without Eemeli Suome, Nättinen beamed.
Kärppien Koivunen and Koivisto in high gear
In addition to Päkkilä, also HIFK Iiro Pakarinen managed to score three goals when IFK took their second win of the week in Hämeenlinna against HPK with goals 5–2. Just transferred from HPK to IFK’s shirt Antti Pihlström scored two goals.
In the match between Kärppie and JYP, the net stretched quickly, when Kärpät came from three goals behind to win 5–4 after a contest for the winning goal. Kärppi’s 20-year-old star who broke the 40-point mark Ville Koivunen assisted four goals, and he decided the game in the winning goal race.
Defender of flies Miika Koivisto had scored only one goal in the season before the match, but today the point pot increased by 2+2 power points.
KooKoo and Ässät, who are fighting for the playoff spot, grabbed the important three-point pots. The people of Kouvola bored Sport on their home ice with goals 3–0, and Nick Malik saved 22 times in a clean sheet.
Ässät ran away to a 4–0 away lead against KalPa in the second set, and KalPa only managed to close the gap by two. The loss for Kuopio was the second of the week after Wednesday’s loss to the Pelicans.
In Lappeenranta, the only goal of the evening was already seen in the opening set, when Tapparan Petteri Puhakka passed the SaiPa guard Kari Piiroinen. The match between TPS and Jukurie only started at 19:30 and is still in progress.
SM league results:
Kärpät–JYP 5–4 (0–1.2–2.2–1) vl
HPK–HIFK 2–5 (0–2.2–2.0–1)
KalPa–Aces 2–4 (0–2.2–2.0–0)
KooKoo–Sport 3–0 (0–0.1–0.2–0)
Pelicans–Ilves 1–7 (0–2.0–3.1–2)
SaiPa–Tappara 0–1(0–1.0–0.0–0)
TPS–Jukurit in progress