Kiekko-Espoo won both of their opening weekend matches in the Aurora League. Emma Nuutinen scored 2+3=5 in two matches.
In the women’s ice hockey main series in the Aurora League, the reigning champion HIFK opened its season victoriously when it defeated Kärpät 2–1.
Veera Pitkänen took the Oulu team to the lead in the opening set with an understrength. At the end of last season, HIFK, which lost almost ten of its key players, came alongside and over in the final set with the help of its young promises. First the 16 year old Julia Kuhdan leveled the game with a power play and a moment later the 17-year-old Olivia Huttunen scored a 2-1 winning goal.
Kiekko-Espoo continued its winning ways in the opening tournament of the Aurora League, even though it played until almost nine in the evening on Friday and jumped into the rink again right from Saturday morning at 10:30 am. In the opening match of the league, the team from Espoo, which crushed TPS 7–1, defeated Ilves 7–2 in the first match of the day on Saturday.
The people of Espoo moved to a two-goal run away having already experienced in the opening set Karoliina Rantamäki and Nea Koskipalo with hits. Julia Kuusisto was responsible for both goals of the team from Tampere, bringing Ilves to within two goals at the beginning of the second period.
At the end of the second period Lisette Taks on the other hand, hit twice and the final set went into the Espoo team with a 5–2 lead.
Täks completed his hat-trick with an upper hand in the final set. The final score was 7–2 Aliisa Toivonen.
The goal difference of the team from Espoo, who were tipped as champion favorites, is staggering after two matches: 14–3.
In the opening tournament of the Ice Hockey Aurora League, two more matches will be played in Turku on Saturday, when HPK will face RoK and Kuortane KalPa.