In the first round of the SM League, the longest game trips are KooKoo and Sport.
SM League 1. at 6:30 pm. The hockey tour follows the playoffs from start to finish in Arena and on Wednesdays Radio Finland.
During the first round of the hockey Finnish Championship League, KooKoo and Sport players, especially for players, accumulate hundreds of kilometers on the bus, as Kouvola and Vaasa are located on opposite sides of the country.
The match started on Tuesday in Kouvola and continued on Wednesday in Vaasa. The third encounter will be seen on Friday in Kouvola and the fourth Saturday in Vaasa. A possible fifth game is Monday 24.3.
Due to the intense pace, both teams will stay in Tampere during the series.
Vaasan Sport team leader Markus Jämsä says that on guest games, the team will travel to Kouvola the day before. After the match, the players head to Tampere for the night and return to Vaasa the next day for lunch.
– This is by no means the optimal situation, but try to minimize the stresses of the trip.
After the match, the Vaasa team service teams carry the equipment directly to Vaasa to dry by van.
Depending on the number of breaks and length, a direct drive between Kouvola and Vaasa takes about 5.5 to 6 hours depending on the number of breaks and length.
KooKoo players stay in Tampere on both the way and return, says the club’s sports director Jarno Kultanen.
– It was quite clear to us that the journey should be rhythmic in that way. The sleep patterns and the daily rhythm remain a little better.
A deserved resting advantage
The pace of the match in the 1st League 1 playoff round has aroused amazement and loud criticism in public.
For example, the executive director of the player association Risto Kauppinen criticized it In Iltalehti And said it was “a danger to player safety.” According to Kauppinen, the SM League has not listened to the player association on the calendar.
Sport’s team leader admits that the pace of the match is high.
“But it is the same for everyone, and there is nothing that we happen to live a little on the other side of Finland in relation to this opponent,” Jämsä says of the first round of playoffs.
KooKoo’s sports director is on the same line.
– It has been agreed in the cabinet and the clubs have been involved in deciding, so it is useless to complain about it afterwards. This season, the series model is like this and it was agreed that this first round would be played tightly to make it more loose in the semi -finals, semi -finals and finals, says Kultanen.
Lock, lynx, KalPa and HIFK, who have advanced straight to the quarterfinals, can be shed a week before their own playoffs.
According to Kultanen, the top four in the regular season has earned his rest.
– The long regular season must have some meaning. Success in it gives you a rest and homeowner for playoffs, and let them go.
Sport’s team leader Jämsä also sees some advantage in his team’s situation.
-Inverted, those who go to these are already in playoffs and the playoff battle is already on.
The hockey tour follows the playoffs from start to finish in Arena and on Wednesdays Radio Finland.