According to expert Topi Nättinen, the team’s performance in the final match of the group was elegant and professional. Finland is preparing for the next quarter-final.
The U-20 Men’s Ice Hockey World Championship will be held in Ottawa, Canada from December 26, 2024 to January 5, 2025.
Nuoret Leijonat beat Latvia 3–0 in the last game of the first group.
The best goalkeeper of the World Cup so far Petteri Rimpinen18, rejected the zero game and was sent to the games with high expectations in advance Kasper Halttunen shot his opening hit of the tournament.
– I’ve missed a few games here and there. Now I went in and it felt good, Halttunen said relieved after the game.
Halttunen thought after the victory that he would go with the rest of the team to watch the fireworks to mark the turn of the year.
– Let’s see if there are fireworks there. After that, we’ll probably eat and start focusing on the next game, said the forward booked by the San Jose Sharks.
The Finnish team has improved its game tremendously in the previous two matches. Captain of the Finnish team Aron Kiviharju says the group was patient when others were not.
– We players knew how to be patient, even though the external pressure has been strong and we should win every game. We know that the job is very much in the glove and here we have to grow game by game. We can take one more step forward to the semifinals.
Sports expert Top Nättinen go through the most important points of the game and take the quarter-finals ahead.
“The minimum was taken care of”
– In my opinion, it’s an elegantly managed, professional presentation. The minimum was taken care of. There was strong defending, what needed to be defended, Latvia didn’t quite get to the top spots, says Nättinen.
The Lions’ team, which struggled with superiority in the early games, now succeeded in the second match in a row with superiority.
On the other hand, Alivoima’s Finland is still the only unbeaten team in the tournament. 13 understrength with zero goals conceded.
According to the expert, Finland took advantage of Latvia’s blowout in the match.
– This was a small blowout for Latvia and Finland took advantage of it. Once in 10 years they can beat a top country. The fact that they would do it twice in the same tournament, it’s not really enough game or mental bangs.
Earlier in the tournament, Latvia surprised Canada with a 3–2 victory. Finland, on the other hand, had lost to Canada 0–4.
Good luck to the top guys
Jesse Kiiskinen scored another goal for Finland. The HPK forward is Finland’s best scorer and scorer after the first half.
– He is a really good player for youth games. As Right’s hand, he could be in the leader’s place, in which case there might be even more goals in the pile. He is a hungry scorer and a lusty guy. A modern hockey player above all else, says Nättinen about Kiiskinen, who scored three goals in the tournament.
Konsta Helenius and Kasper Halttunen had successes. What does that mean going forward?
– It has a really big value in a tournament like this.
– I would even turn it around so that if Halttusen and Helenius open up the game, Kiiskinen continues in the same way, superiority succeeds again in the next game, so there are a lot of good parts in it. This is made up of mosaics. When they start putting them on the board, now I think there are more important mosaics, Nättinen reflects.
In the semi-finals against Slovakia
In the quarterfinals, Finland will face Slovakia, the third in Group B, who had difficulties in the previous game against Kazakhstan. The team only managed to beat Kazakhstan in overtime (5–4).
– Doing it there is not on a terribly stable basis. I believe that Finland can handle the pressure of the pre-favorite Slovakia.
It is not the first time that the Finnish national hockey team starts the tournament with a bang, improves and finally wins the entire tournament. Nättinen believes that if Finland still gets its attacking play under control, the world championship may be possible.
– Underpower has been one hundred percent. I can’t believe it would collapse. The goalkeeping game is the best of the games. If Finland gets a little more from its top strikers, then all teams are beatable. Finland already showed it against the United States.
– Here are the possibilities for a good story, Nättinen concludes.
Urheilu closely follows the under-20 hockey world championships in the application and on its website. The atmosphere is also broadcast on Urheilurutu and Urheiluradio.