Joona Ikonen’s drive-through hit was the winning goal in Tampere’s local game. The Ilves platform has now hit 20 lockers.
This was the solution to Tampere’s local match! Joona Ikonen dunked the puck behind Tappara’s Christian Heljango. Ilves won 4–3. PDO
Joona Ikonen the 20th goal of the season and Ilves’ fourth goal on Friday night was the winning goal of Tampere’s local match.
– Both chains seem to have had a long exchange. Eetu Päkkilä had the puck cut off in our defense zone. “Päkä” threw me into a very empty space and then I got away, Ikonen reports.
He skated away from the others and shot angrily past the Tappara goalkeeper Christian Heljangon.
– I didn’t think about deception. I’ve drawn from those – and that’s how I decided to draw this time as well.
Ikonen is now alone at the top of the league’s goal exchange. The club Michael Joly and Jyväskylä Reid Gardiner have painted 19 times.
Joly and Gardiner are, so to speak, expected names at the top of the goal exchange, but Iko could be characterized as a big surprise.
The 24-year-old right winger’s previous single-season goal record is 16 from the 2018–19 season.
The success of this season is of course underpinned by many top sports factors, but one very big thing is that the man is in better physical condition than before. Ikonen has always been a hard worker in the rink, but this season he has coped better than before and was clearly stronger in the struggles than in previous years.
– I’m probably in a bit better shape, so I can fight in every game. If there is a blow, you can’t fight every shift and every game, if you don’t recover. And I’ve probably gained some muscle over the years – we’re still trying to improve it, of course.
Does the cartridge last?
Joona Ikonen can cope better than before. In the picture, Waltteri Merelä of the fighting couple Tappara. PDO
Tampere’s fourth local game played on Friday was the best of the season.
– We were effective in the second half when we scored three goals. Although it was defended poorly at times, Ikonen scored the second set of the match, which turned out to be the most decisive of the match.
Ilves led 1–0 after the opening set, got within three goals at the beginning of the second set, and went into the second set break in command of the tassel ears 4–2.
– In the third set, we were good in the five-on-five game, and we had no problem. Underpowered, the opponent got chances, but Marek Langhamer was good at the goal.
The 4–3 victory of the yellow shirts was the third of the season against Tappara. Ilves needs one more point from the two remaining local games in order to gain control of the Pirkanmaa provincial center in the regular season.
– Yes, that Tappara win always tastes good. But soon I have to download it to Pori for Saturday.
Ilves was really weak in the match after the season’s first local victory in September, when it lost 1-5 the next night in Lahti.
After winning the second local game on Friday, October 7, Ilves beat Jyväskylä 5–3 the next day in a confused match with weak play, but that started a four-match losing streak.
On Saturday, hundreds of Ilves fans will go to the Ässät match in Pori on the so-called mega supporter’s trip.
– Fortunately, you get a good charge from it. Quite often, the games after the local game have been difficult for us, but now there should be no excuses for charging the crowd.