Jussi Tapola’s cheeky banter spoke volumes

Tappara changed goalkeepers on Friday in Tampere’s local team. Mika Kylmäniemi / AOP

Tappara’s head coach Jussi Tapolan’s goalkeeper fight in the third period of Tampere’s local team spoke volumes.

Tapola cheekily, but completely according to the rules, used the opportunity to rest his superior five in the middle of a two-man forced game. He took Christian Heljangon off the mark and put Vilho Heikkinen between the pipes. This took a couple of minutes, so the top runners got the rest time they needed.

– It has sometimes been used. The players hinted that Heljango needs to fix some small equipment, so he wanted to go to the dugout a bit, Tapola threw his face with basic readings.

The trick paid off, as Tappara scored the tying goal 1–2 after a veskari roulette. Heljanko returned to the ice after the hit.

However, the goal was a small consolation, because Ilves was once again the number one in Tampere. The readings on Friday were 4–1 for tassel ears.

– I can’t find any common denominator for the losses. I myself have thought about what should be done better to turn the relationship around for the better. It hasn’t been found yet.

Ilves has won no less than 14 of the 18 most recent Tampere locals.

In the loss pipe

Friday’s loss was the third in a row for the reigning champion team in the league. Tappara has won only two of the last eight matches.

– We have really good steps, what we are going to do. Since the result is released, we still suffer from it here. You have to look behind the result to see what happens.

The most ardent Tappara fans have demanded Tapola’s exit, but with the master coach’s CV, there is hardly any panic in the leadership.

If Tapola were at the helm of Tappara in his rookie season, the pressure on the head coach would be more intense.

– If he was worried about himself, that coach wouldn’t have much to give to the team.

Tapparan has been in broth before in October, until it has gone to the end or almost to the end in the spring.

– When you gain experience as a coach, your skin gets thicker. At this point, you can keep your mind calm when you know what is needed in terms of gameplay and atmosphere. When you know how to handle the situation with the team in the right way, the team gets stronger, Tapola commented.

– Defeat is not the end of the world when you know what’s going on. However, it is clear that Silite can’t stop at this, he continues.

Pennanen got better

Having won his debut as head coach of Ilves Antti Pennanen seemed very relaxed after the match.

– I am satisfied with the performance and proud of the team. A tough performance against a top team. Very tough game. I felt that the level of requirements was tough and the company was strong on the field, Pennanen said.

– After the game, I thanked the team for being at the core. Leading players led the team and Petri Kontioala too covered shots, he continued, referring to the skillful throwing himself in front of the puck underpowered.

Pennanen was named head coach of Ilves on Wednesday morning Bunch of Myrrh in place of.

– I have been feeling very calm for a couple of days. Has gotten away from external things that belong to the profession, so the focus is on my own and the team’s work. It’s quite liberating, he said.

– During the match I was more active than normal. I noticed that we are in the core. Of course, games are exciting – and so was this one, Pennanen continued.

The coach who led the club to the SM gold in 2019 took Ilves for practice on Thursday and the light morning ice on game day on Friday. During this time, no major game nuances were made.

– We went through something about being close to the sides. And I emphasized good defensive readiness when playing a tough game.

There are players familiar to Pennas from the last decade at the Club Eetu Tuulola, Miro Ruokonen and Otto Latvala. Tuulola and Ruokonen were about to win the SM gold in 2019.