Tappara, the number one in the regular season, won the opening of the semi-finals against the reigning champion Luko 5–3.
Joona Luoto (behind) scored 1 + 1 and was the most powerful in the Nokia arena tonight. Petri Saarelainen / AOP
Tappara and Lukko are facing each other for the seventh time in the last nine playoff spring.
Last year, Lukko took the final place with a 3-1 win. Before that, Tappara had beaten the Rauma team in six playoff series to the tube.
The match was three-tiered. The lock won the opening round Sami Päivärinnan and Miska Kukkonen hits, but the next five goals were scored by Tappara. In the final minutes of the final batch, Lukko still developed the manly Kirin, however Vili Saarijärven it could not get closer to the narrowing.
– In the beginning, the guy was a little more prepared. I don’t know if it was because we had a break, Captain Tappara Otto Rauhala apricot.
Tappara came into the game after a five-day break when Lukko, who finished tenth in the regular season, played two tough Playoffs matches against HPK at the same time.
– The second batch was well improved and goals were scored, Rauhala rejoiced.
Paint spill
Tappara hit three goals in the middle of the second round in just over six minutes.
– We started to improve the basics, ie skating, reacting and fighting games. They relied on their own business, and then the results started to come from there, Rauhala described the posture movement.
First Kristian Tanus hit with force and then Joona Luoto directed the equalizer in front of the goal. The fireworks were crowned Joni Tuulolan a lucky 3–2 hit that bounced off several of Luko’s field players and eventually the goalkeeper Lassi Lehtinen through the back over the finish line.
Lehtinen was not to blame for the setbacks, but Lukko switched to the finish line at the end Artyom Zagidulinin in his place between the poles.
Strange rejection
Captain Otto Rauhala hit Tappara’s winning goal. Mikko Lieri / AOP
In the final round, Rauhala struck the loose puck in front of the goal behind the Russian goalkeeper and Patrik Virta stretched the home lead to three goals before Lukko came again.
Harri Kainulainen won the attack head start 100-0 – as in Kukkonen’s hit – and Vili Saarijärvi shot the numbers 5 to 3 in 55.50.
– A little stopped playing unnecessarily early. There was a good reminder to everyone that the game will last until the final buzzer sounds, Rauhala described Luke’s fierce pressure that started from this.
It seemed to bring another reduction, with almost four minutes left, however Sebastian Revon the hit was dismissed as harassment by the goalkeeper.
Lock head coach Marko Virtanen challenged the judges’ decision, but that did not change by examining the video. The solution was highly questionable, as the Tappara kit Santtu Kinnunen pushed the lock Arttu Ilomäki goalkeeper area and contact goalkeeper Christian Heljankoon was non-existent.
Painting party
Lukko won 48-45 shots in the match, but Tappara’s victory can be considered earned thanks to its strong second set.
However, the match pair is not as clear as one might infer from the regular season rankings. Lukko won the regular season with a score of 7–5.
The matches between the teams have been exceptionally rich. On the second Saturday, Tappara applied to Rauma for a 5–4 extra time victory, so a total of 17 goals have been seen in the last two confrontations.
– It must be possible to improve the defense game, Rauhala said.
– You can’t give a friend a whole bunch of places.
In order to play realistically from the sequel, Luko must find the cure for its biggest problem, namely special situations and especially the game of superiority.
The semi-final opener was the team’s ninth consecutive match without any superiority goals. In the playoffs, Lukko has already scored 16 years without success.