Otto Paajanen, who turns 34 this year, learned an important thing last season. Now he wants to lead KooKoo to the championship fight.
– Yes, it goes to the other side, Otto Paajanen says.
This is the school grade given by KooKoo’s skipper to his team from the regular season. The Kouvolas pump was second in the standings after 60 games.
It was a sensation of such a level that many others would have been blown away.
However, Paajanen does not boast about the achievement. It can be seen from everything that the great Main Series won’t warm an experienced player even a drop if the playoffs become a pancake.
Will KooKoo win the championship?
– The purpose would be.
Extensive material
Otto Paajanen has found more relaxation in his work. Pasi Liesimaa
KooKoo already scored the most goals in the SM league regular season last season. This season, it waved the net the second most after Tappara.
Still, KooKoo’s best scorer can only be found in 18th place on the points exchange. There are, for example, four Kärppi players, even though the team from Oulu didn’t even make it to the playoffs.
– We have a pretty wide roster, five top players on the field. There will be successes on the offensive end on a wide front, says Paajanen.
No fewer than 12 KooKoo players scored at least 20 points in the regular season. The streak of ten goals was broken by nine giants.
– Many of us have played the best puck of our career this season.
Including Paajanen.
More relaxed
Jouko Myrrä has gotten the best out of its players. Pasi Liesimaa
The center forward, who will turn 34 next fall, scored 40 (14+26) points in 59 regular season games. This is Paajanen’s own personal record.
Are you a better player now than ever before?
– Surely that is partly true. At least that’s what I’d like to believe, that I can use all the experiences and lessons I’ve learned over the years.
The cannon season did not come out of the blue for Paajanen.
– I am physically in good shape and I used the potential I had, but I still have the feeling that I could be a little better, Paajanen says.
Lentokeli actually started already last season, and Paajanen gives KooKoo’s head coach a big thanks for that A crowd for Myrra.
– Jokke gave a seam and helped to understand that this job can be enjoyed a little. You don’t have to do every gym workout with gritted teeth. Sometimes less is more.
Previously, Paajanen had weighed too much at the extreme limits.
– Jokke hit his fist on the table in the right way at the right moment. That’s where it started to turn.
Others have the puck
KooKoo has also gained a competitive advantage from goalkeeper play and special situations. With superiority (26.28%), the team was the fourth best in the regular season and sixth even with understrength (81.05%).
However, the biggest difference to other teams comes in the way they play. KooKoo often gets up very quickly and clearly holds the puck the least in the entire series. Limpu has been in possession of the Kouvola team for an average of only 43.34 percent of the playing time.
– We are not prohibited from holding the puck, but we don’t think about the puck control percentage either. We haven’t even talked about it. We believe that this way we play will bring us the best result.
Although KooKoo allowed the opponent to keep the puck, it allowed the third fewest goals in the regular season after Tappara and Ilves.
Off the puck
Otto Paajanen scored his record points in the regular season. Tomi Natri / All Over Press
With the excellent regular season, KooKoo didn’t have to play in the opening round of the playoffs. Its games will only continue today, Saturday, in the quarterfinals against the Pelicans.
– We are trying to get away from hockey a little now. It’s pointless to beat it all the time, Paajanen said before Saturday.
A little rest and a break from the games was certainly good after the tough regular season, but the players did not go to soak in the Spanish sun.
– Although we try to rest, we also go on the ice and pace this period so that we are ready when the games continue.
According to Paajanen, the most important thing in the playoffs is to live in the moment. The thought must not run away from the next exchange, but the old ones must not be worried either.
During the most important games of the season, Paajanen especially invests in sufficient energy intake and recovery. Hockey is still not the whole life.
– In the same way, that family life also runs during the playoffs.
