Will Antti Pennase become a lame duck?

The big question in terms of Tampere Ilves’ hopes for success in the 2023–24 season is whether the defector to Leijon will Antti from Pennase the lame duck in the tassel ear locker room.

– I do not believe. Let’s focus on this season. It hardly affects more than that. This is for a moment. If the thought escapes, the end result is bad. There is a great organization here and things are well taken care of – that will certainly be the case in the future as well, commented Ilves’ captain Niklas FrimanPennanen’s credit man.

The defender, who is also known from Leijoni, incenses Penna.

– We are really happy for Antti. He really has a lot to give to Finnish hockey

Big win

Pennanen’s defection was softened by the Ilves tip that the team broke a three-match losing streak and beat Tappara 5-3 in the first local match of the season on Thursday.

– It was, of course, an important victory after a bit more difficult period. I’m happy with how the game turned out. At the beginning, we got some good overtime goals, but maybe there were the same things we’ve been struggling with: dueling toughness and a certain kind of blunt action on our own, Friman said.

Ilves went into the first break with a goal in the lead, when Matias Mantykivi and Joona Ikonen had been hit with overwhelming force.

However, Tappara was a subtly more dangerous team in the opening set.

– The second set was really good from us. It’s been a bit challenging especially the last three games, but also before that. The end was defended really well.

Ilves went into the second break leading 3–2, took a 4–2 lead in the last 20 minutes and finally won 5–3.

It seemed that Ilves’ defensive game got worse as the match wore on. There weren’t many marking mistakes and laziness familiar from previous rounds.

– The defense template was not changed at all. It was known to work. It was about the fact that the dueling toughness was better and also that we helped better after the stops. We got out of our own head faster.

Ilves’ offensive game was severely stunted in the losing games. Especially in last Saturday’s TPS match, the team was only able to attack properly on occasion.

– Even if we have gotten a stop, we have lost the second or third puck. Now we got out of them a little more simply and got up.

What was that about?

– Probably care with the puck. There will be a few more slush. I think I moved better, so that helps a lot, Friman answered.

Thumb in the package

The Tampere local was the first of his career for the new Ilves skipper.

– A really wonderful experience. This is what I was waiting for. And when there were three defeats below, we knew that Thursday would be a great opportunity to end the streak.

Friman received a blow on his left thumb in the CHL before the start of the SM league season. It was in the package after the match on Thursday night.

– It’s perfectly fine and in playing condition.

Tappara-minded people have described that Ilves plays in local games like for the Finnish championship, and kirvesrinna only plays for the Finnish championship in the spring.

There is a grain of truth in the statement.

In recent seasons, Ilves has often been very strong in the locals, until the victory was followed by a blowout.

– I’m not going to argue. Local games take a lot of energy.

How will Ilves avoid a familiar trend on Friday, when they face HIFK at the Nokia Arena?

– The important thing is to calm down quickly. IFK here on Friday is also a really big game for us. Now energy down, good final heats, refueling and similar charging for Friday. We know that IFK will come up against us in a very strong mood, Friman commented.