Pelicans got their second away win against Ilves in the semi-finals of the Finnish Hockey Championship. The place in the finals is on the line for the Pelicans on Thursday in Lahti.
11.4. 20:59•Updated 11.4. 23:35
Lahti Pelicans claimed a tasty away victory over Tampere Ilves in the semi-finals of the hockey SM league. Pelicans beat Ilves 2–0 and are now in the lead with a 3–2 win. The final spot is up for grabs for Lahti on their home ice on Thursday.
Pelicans’ hero of the night was Iikka Kangasniemi, who settled the fight with his hits in the second period. Kangasniemi scored their first goals of the playoff spring. The successes came at a really sweet moment.
Kangasniemi hit for the first time in the second minute of the set. Five minutes later, Kangasniemi got plenty of space and already scored his second goal of the evening.
– I haven’t thought about it (goallessness) any more. It’s great that there are now a couple and we hope that there will be more in the future, Kangasniemi acknowledged his long goalless streak.
Ilves got his chance in the third period, when the people of Tampere were able to grind for no less than a minute with the superiority of two men. However, the Pelicans defense was held up by the goalie Patrik Bartos too under. The Czech keeper stopped 23 shots in the scoreless draw.
– Hard performance. The Pelicans had to play three consecutive away games, they sought two wins from their three away games, Urheilu’s expert Juha Juujärvi glowed.
The Pelicans held the lead until the end
Pelicans lost their 2–0 lead in the teams’ previous match in Tampere, but now the same pattern did not repeat itself.
– There is no information that the Pelicans players got under the skin of the previous match, Juujärvi referred to the teams’ previous struggle.
Kangasniemi saw that the Pelicans played the middle area more accurately than in the previous match.
– We didn’t lose pucks in the middle area in the same way. We persistently defended the opponent’s attacks, Kangasniemi said.
Many expected that Ilves would now be the master in his house, but it turned out differently.
– A shock loss to Ilves. Pelicans’ game plan worked, they were able to eliminate Ilves’ rush. The key players of Pelicans took a 100-0 victory over the corresponding players of Ilves. Kangasniemi came up big at an important moment. A great magician, Juujärvi praised.
“The opponent took a 2-0 lead too cheaply”
Ilves head coach Antti Pennanen regretted the events of the second round. Even in the first set, everything looked good for Ilves.
– It was an excellent opening set. The start of the second period was weak. The opponent got a 2–0 lead too cheaply, the result started to control the game, Pennanen said.
Pennanen hinted at possible chain changes for Thursday’s match in Lahti.
– We will consider them. We have considered before every match, but now certainly even stronger, Pennanen stated.
Piloting the Pelicans Tommi Niemelä described the people of Lahti as playing maturely in the minutes that decided the victory.
– A mature performance from us in the third period. Really committed, tough and tenacious defensive game. Our goal has been to improve game by game and find ways to play better, Niemelä said.
Pelicans can secure their place in the finals when the next match is played on Thursday in Lahti. If Ilves goes on to win, the match series will only be decided on Saturday in Tampere.
The Pelicans’ or Ilves’ final opponent is Tampere’s Tappara, who beat IFK Helsinki 4–1. The final matches start in a week, on Wednesday 19 April.
SM League 5th semi-final (4 wins)
Ilves-Pelicans 0–2
21.18 0-1 Ikka Kangasniemi (Sakke Hämäläinen,Topias Vilén) tv
26.32 0-2 Iikka Kangasniemi (Lenni Killinen)
Pelicans in the lead won 3–2