Nokian KrP is the champion of Finland for the first time.
Nokian KrP finally got to celebrate the brightest. Riku Hämäläinen / Floorball Association
Nokian KrP won the first floorball Finnish championship in its history.
On Thursday evening, the men’s final series was decided in the sixth meeting. KrP beat Tampere Classic 7–5 and won the series 4–2.
KrP took the decisive lead in the second set, when it seemed that they were already running away towards the championship.
In a time of 35:15, an amazing finish was seen. KrP’s Topias Simonen started to lift from his own end and shot the ball from the back of the field towards the Classic goal. Keeper Lassi Toriseva clearly didn’t see the shot properly and at the same time got confused about who made the mask Mikko from Laakso. As a result, Simonen’s shot sank directly into the goal, and the situation was already 6–2.
Janne Lamminen however, scored an important locker room draw at the end of the second period.
Classic entered the third set with a rush. In just over a minute Eemeli Salin and Konsta Tykkyläinen lifted the people of Tampere already to the end of the goal.
Classic, however, insists on that. Laakso finished the night with his second last goal into an empty net half a minute before the final buzzer.
The buzzer sounded, the rackets flew towards the roof of the Nokia arena and the championship party started.
Before this season’s championship, KrP had achieved two SM silvers and three bronzes.
A quiet moment
The match was preceded by a moment of silence in memory of Mika Ahonen. Riku Hämäläinen / Floorball Association
Thursday’s final became exceptionally emotional. Before the match, a moment of silence was held in the arena Mika Ahonen for memory.
10-time champion coach and member of Classic’s coaching group “Amu” Ahonen had a seizure during the fifth final in the stands. The Floorball Association shared the sad news on Thursday: Ahonen died at the age of 54.
Classic played the match in mourning bands.