The Indians rose from a 0–3 loss to 3–3 in the semi-final series wins. However, the deciding match was won by the Oilers. The founder of the Indians admired the rush of the crowd.
Anni Jämsä,
Riikka Smolander-Slotte
The hot men’s floorball F-League semi-final series culminated in a celebration for Esport Oilers in Espoo, as they beat Westend Indians 4-2 in the decisive match.
Tapiola’s Urheiluhalli was full to capacity when the final opponent in the local competition was decided for the Tampereen Classic.
Two goals for the Oilers Eetu Nykänen was relieved that the team withstood the pressure of the pre-favorite.
– Today we were more mature as a team than in the previous three matches. That was simply the key factor today.
Originally, the Oilers were already leading the series with a 3–0 victory, but the Indians won the next three games and struggled in an unprecedented way to fight for a place in the finals. Nykänen thanked his semifinal opponent profusely.
– A shockingly big honor for the Indians. Hats off, especially the last game. Great performance from them. Playing this semifinal series has been so sweet, the halls have been absolutely packed, Nykänen beamed.
The match series was memorable, but losing the finals place to the Indians was a huge disappointment.
– We didn’t know how to use our scouting times that well, the Oilers were better in theirs. The end was a bit of a letdown for us. Sports are pretty tough sometimes, team captain Valtteri Kainulainen stated after the match.
Community spirit is behind the fun
In the seventh match, the rise of the Indians was no longer seen, but the team’s fight in the match series led to a great floorball frenzy in Espoo.
Urheilu interviewed the founder of Indians Toni Leipo before the start of the deciding match and found out how the charm created by the Indians was born.
– We have always relied on community spirit, we are talking about “Heimo”. It has been our driving force. Many young players have grown up to take responsibility and have taken enough steps to enable us to challenge big clubs.
Leiponen founded Westend Indians in 1992 when he was only 16 years old, because he couldn’t fit his older brother Petrin to the team founded by the Westend Cowboys.
32 years later, the Indians battled for a spot in the men’s major league finals in front of 1,176 spectators. Before the start of the match, the club legend admired the large mass of fans who were on the move in Espoo.
– They are the reason why this is being done. This is so great, so great.