In the opening game of the season, Jukurit faced KooKoo at Ikioma Areena. Pekka Jormakka scored two goals.
Pekka Jormakka was the scorer of Jukurie’s veteran chain on Wednesday. It didn’t help, grumpy KooKoo took the points from Mikkeli. MIKKO LIERI / AOP
Jukurit lost its opening game of the season to Kouvola 4–3.
Jukurie’s first court is very familiar to all sports fans. It is led by world champion and KHL veteran Jarkko Immonen, 40.
37-year-old Juhamatti Aaltonen plays on the other side, and “only” 32 years old Pekka Jormakka on the other side.
The combined age of the first team is 109 years.
The foot of veterans is still light. Birthday hero Jormakka scored Jukurie’s second and third goals in the opening game of the season, Aaltonen and Immonen collected an assist for the man.
– There was a lot of good in this game. But if the guy manages to get in from the front of the goal, then there will be a loss. On the other hand, they are easy to fix, we had some of the same mistakes as last year, Jormakka told Iltalehte.
– I had a good preseason and things have gone well in the CHL. I guess the secret is that when you have a good summer workout, it shows in what you do.
When this trio strikes, the Lapinlahti Lintujen song “Sedät jaksaa heilua” plays in Mikkeli’s hall.
No training together
Jarkko Immonen is a great starter and an important player for Jukurei this season as well. PETRI SAARELAINEN / AOP
The veteran trio was put together just before the start of the League.
– Jakke just came to that, he hasn’t practiced many times with this trio. Otto Mäkinen dropped out in the CHL game, Jormakka says.
– Jakke is such a good starter that the attacking end can directly think about scoring patterns from the kick-off. With such a high percentage, he takes starts.
Often, veterans are currently only in mid-winter and spring.
– I’ll sign that. Every year, experienced players get wet in the spring. Although I’m not that old yet, the winger laughed.
Ketju has played 1406 regular season matches in the SM league alone and scored 400 goals and 955 power points in them after the KooKoo game.
Towards Leijon?
Chief commander of the Jukurs Olli Jokinen praised Jormakka.
– After last season’s injuries, he has come back as a top athlete. He’s starting to be where he was in the Joker years. He will fight for the EHT and World Championship place this season if he stays healthy.
Mäkiaho’s first
Jukurit even got a young goalscorer in the statistics when he was 21 years old Daniel Mäkiaho scored the first hit of his league career.
– The goal is a really good feeling. I got a good pass on it From Oliver Larsen. It’s definitely a good thing that the goal came right at the beginning of the season. There’s no need to think about it anymore, let’s go towards new goals, Mäkiaho stated.
Rude KooKoo
KooKoo knocked out Jukurit in the spring playoffs. The team was rude again.
Heikki Liedes scored a goal and had two assists.
– It was a bit of a confusing game, that’s how the first game of the season often is. There is more passion than sense. Things are not yet settled and several are tense. Let’s try to reinvent the wheel, said the skipper from Kouvola.
The points warmed up.
– It was an effective evening myself. But we can improve this.