Canada comes violently – Finland has to withstand the “magic vitonen”

The World Cup tournament for under-20s starts for Finland on December 27 at 2:30 a.m. The opening game will be against Canada.

Only the championship is good for Canada in the home tournament.

– The first five minutes will be fierce. We’re in Canada, it’s their opening game too and the players are so full of adrenaline. They will come through at the end, thinks hockey expert Ismo Lehkonen.

– They try to take our players’ minds away, the home crowd gives them energy, Lehkonen continues.

Excesses?

When the young stars of the puck-crazy nation have been pumped full of physical and mental energy, the possibility of overshooting also comes into the picture.

– That kind of running does not serve skill playing. And there is skill in the Canadian team. The danger they have is excesses, Lehkonen, who works as a TV5 expert in Ottawa, reminds us.

– But the first femme, that’s what I’m waiting for. However, the tournament is played with international rules. Let’s see if they understand that there is also the possibility of walkouts. Lauri Mikkola has seen these games and I believe that Finland is ready for the opening game.

The importance of emotion

Canada is the early favorite for the Games, one of them. The country has won four World Championship golds in this age group in the last seven years.

The tournament concretely starts with the game between Canada and Finland.

– The approach of the Finnish team to the game must be fearless. The drive for success or squatting comes from that game. Whatever the result of the game, the feeling the team gets from the game will determine the whole tournament, Lehkonen reasons.

– Finland cannot hesitate for a moment in the hockey game. You have to take risks to get results. When the game turns in your favor about 300 times, anticipate, create pressure, take time away from your partner, defend all-in, “Ika” is having fun.

Leaders are needed

In tough places, the ball team quite often relies on certain players.

– Every time Finland has played a good tournament, there have been leading players. Sometimes there was Teuvo Teräväinen and Rasmus Ristolainen. At the time, the PuLa-Aho chain (Jesse Puljujärvi, Patrik Laine, Sebastian Aho) and Olli Juolevi were in the home races. Kaapo Kakko was once such a player.

– For example, Konsta Helenius and Aron Kiviharju can be such players. From game one on, the team must have leaders. I mentioned two examples. They are in the spotlight, giving interviews. The eyes of the players on their own team are also fixed on the leading guys, Lehkonen reminds.

– I hope other players will get involved. For example, Emil Hemming, Kasper Halttunen and Jesse Kiiskinen are like that.

Upscale toilets

Lehkonen trusts the goalkeepers of the Finnish team.

– The starting points are that we have goalkeepers who can win games for the team.

Finland’s goalkeeper trio at the Under-20 World Cup is Noa Vali (TPS), Kim Saarinen (HPK) and Petteri Rimpinen (Kiekko-Espoo).