– The two sets were tight, and the goal taps opened in the third, Jussi Olkinuora summed up the events of the victory in Hungary.
Jussi Olkinuora (left) and the other lions did not have real winning smiles after the game ended. Kimmo Brandt / AOP
After two sets, the numbers 2-1 stood in the huge media cube of the Nokia Arena, to the surprise of many, indicating a relatively even match.
The Finnish team defending the World Championship gold could not see the difference in level against the rookie of the main competition level.
There were also situations in the goal of Finland, which played with ease. Olkinuora had 10 saves in two sets.
– It didn’t surprise me. We knew they would come hard. Fortunately, none went in the first set and only one in the second, he said.
The only puck that slipped behind behaved like a super ball in Olkinuora’s glove. The puck bounced off, fell behind the goalkeeper’s back, almost on the goal line, and Balázs Sebok poked it in.
– I caught it with my glove, but the puck didn’t want to stay there to sleep. I missed it and then suddenly it was in the finish line.
Has something similar happened to you before?
– Every now and then – sometimes, when you accidentally take two shields on the ice, things like that happen, Olkinuora carved.
Olkinuora, who was selected as the best goalkeeper and most valuable player of last year’s golden World Cup, played his second match in these games. He has competed for the position of the number one guard Eemil Larmin with, but neither is fully convinced yet.
It was difficult for the goalkeeper to show signs against Hungary, when Finland ran away to a crushing 7-1 victory in the final set, and in the end there was still quite a bit of work to do.
– You said that, specifically, Olkinuora signed the thought.
– I’m just trying to enjoy today. Others get to decide on gambling.
The Finland-Austria match starts in Tampere on Saturday at 16:20.