Team manager Ari-Pekka Pajuluoma predicts that Hämeenlinna will face an irritated home team. From the home match against Jukurei, he expects a battle of tired men.
15:15•Updated 15:22
Vaasan Sport plays two matches at the end of the week: on Friday in Hämeenlinna against HPK, and on Saturday in Vaasa against Jukurit.
Both HPK and Jukurei have already been pushed to the tail end of the League. In the opening match on Tuesday, Jukurit beat HPK 7–3. The club management reacts to the result immediately. During the week, the club has acquired no less than three new players, the most interesting name of which is a forward who has played more than 400 SHL matches Adam Brodecki.
Sport’s team leader Ari-Pekka Pajuluoma predicts that a tight match can be expected in Hämeenlinna.
– It is not quite certain whether all the new players will already play today, but HPK is not at all as bad a team as is said about it.
Pajuluoma says that of course we will start the match looking for a win. He emphasizes that it requires full concentration, however.
– That’s why hockey is a nice sport, that you rarely win a match with a bad performance.
A match of tired men
On Saturday, Mikkelin Jukurit will be in Vaasa. Jukurit has experienced big changes compared to last season, and the head coach has also changed. Olli Jokinen changed scenery to the other side of the bay to become Timrå’s head coach. Now behind the bench stands the power forward of previous years Marko Tuomainen.
– It’s a challenging match for both. Both teams have traveled overnight. In preparation, there is a lot of talk about managing fatigue. The one who manages the fatigue better is definitely stronger.
There will hardly be skill hockey.
– The subtleties of ice hockey are hardly seen on the field, special situations play a decisive role, Pajuluoma estimates.
Special situations also played an important role on Tuesday, when Sport managed to fight for a point from Oulu Kärpi in the opening match. The people of Oulu collected a total of 29 minutes of ice time in the third period.
– In that way, you can’t think that we are satisfied when we get points from the top teams. Yes, we want to win those matches too. There were many good moments on Tuesday, such as the start of the match. There were other good episodes. It’s a challenge that we can keep the same tempo for a full 60 minutes.
The match at Vaasa Sähkö Arena starts on Saturday at 17:00.