Going the distance
The way to the Liiga finals is not an easy one this year. Both matchups were forced into a seventh game today. Tappara even managed to pull even after trailing 1-3 in the series.
JYP
Jyväskylä vs Kärpät Oulu 4-3, series: 3-3
Since Oulu
won game 5 at home this series was still waiting for its first road win and it
should not come today, although Kärpät started well with a goal by Ryan Glenn
finishing off a breakaway just a few minutes in. But when Eric Perrin skated
all along the boards and found Mikko Mäenpää all open behind him in the left
face-off circle, the game should take another direction. Mäenpää’s equalizer
was followed by a turnover in the Kärpät defense, that was picked up by Petr
Hubacek and put in the net by Tuomas Pihlman still before the first
intermission.
Shortly
after both teams were back on the ice Pihlman got a pass on the blue line and
hammered it in the left corner for his second goal of the game. For Oulu’s Mika
Pyörälä it was the 100th playoff game in Liiga, but even his
deflection of an Arto Laatikainen shot should not turn the game into his teams’
favour. 10 minutes were played in the last period when Miika Lahti converted
another 3-on-2 break for JYP to regain the 2-goal difference. Esa Pirnes could cut
the lead in half one more time with a rebound off his own shot, but JYP hold on
to the home win and so they will have to go to Oulu one more time on Monday.
Lukko Rauma
vs Tappara Tampere 3-4, series 3-3
Tappara was
already back 1-3 in this series, but last year’s finalist won’t give up just
yet. After winning at home yesterday, they were at it again today and shocked
Lukko with Henrik Tömmernes‘ shot from the blue line 28 seconds into the game, which completely
surprised Ryan Zapolski in Lukko’s net. Pushed by their fans Lukko fought back
and got a goal denied after video review at the 9:00 mark. 7 seconds later the
video judge said yes, when Mikko Kousa tipped in a loose puck in front of the
goal on the powerplay. A third review one more minute later was again denied and
then Tappara had enough of all the waiting for decisions. Olli Palola grabbed a
puck in the offensive zone and buried it past Zapolski without any doubt. Still
in the first period Teemu Aalto set the game to 3-1 Tappara with a powerplay
blast.
Then the
game took a little nap for 35 minutes before Alexander Bonsaksen found the spot
Aalto scored from and hammered one in himself to give Tappara a 3-goal lead. Late
in the game Lukko could answer with 2 goals through Henrik Forsberg and Toni
Koivisto, but this came too late. Tappara changed the momentum of this series and
will try to use it in game 7 on Monday at home in Tampere.