FINLAND – The SM-Liiga finalists are set after the last round of the semi final games. With Pelicans having a 3-1 strangle hold lead over the Blues and Jokerit playing their backs against the wall against JYP, also at 3-1 series to JYP, the Blues and Jokerit could only hope for a miracle to happen so that they would stretch the series.
With Jokerit and JYP, the series has been incredibly tight, with one goal separating the two teams at the end of each game. More often than not the scoreline had been 3-2 to either of the teams and it was the case as well in game five of the series. Where Jokerit went into a one goal lead early, it was JYP who started controlling the game slightly after going 2-1 up in the first period. There were times when Jokerit were in control and looked like the team on the move, but in JYP goal Riku Helenius was on top form once again. Helenius, a 2006 first round draft pick by the Tampa Bay Lightning, has put up a wall in his net in the playoffs and has been in great form. It wouldn’t be the least bit surprising if he has played himself back into the NHL picture or has a number of KHL teams after his signature in the off season.
The game itself went to overtime. Jokerit had fought hard to extend the series and keep it alive. Until at 63.17, Ilari Filppula lost a face off in the Jokerit end, leaving it to JYP’s Mikko Viitanen to hammer the puck home after Juha-Pekka Hytonen had won the face off, thus sending JYP to the SM-Liiga finals.
Many would not have picked JYP to proceed this far in the season. At the start of the season, head coach Risto Dufva resigned from the team and it was said that JYP would not be a championship contender this season. However, the steady work from the team and the good results have lead JYP this far and the team can be proud of their achievement thus far, though there is still one more best of seven series left to play.
In the other semi final match, Pelicans were close to clinching the series. After dropping one game against the Blues, Pelicans had been the stronger team through out the series, despite Blues miracle run from the first round where it eliminated regular season winners KalPa. However, the magic would not carry Blues to the final as it did last year when Pelicans flew to a 2-1 win over the Blues.
All credit to Blues though, Pelicans were the stronger team from the outset and after the adversity the team faced against Karpat in the opening rounds of the playoffs, Pelicans seem to have grown mentally. Blues has carved itself a reputation of a team that never gives up and will play all the way until the fat lady sings. This time it wasn’t quite enough though.
An amusing anecdote from Pelicans making the finals is that two ice hockey journalists working for the Finnish broadcaster YLE placed a bet with Pelicans’ bench boss Kai Suikkanen during the leagues’ traditional opening cruise. The two journalists, Kaj Kunnas and Ilkka Palomaki, did not believe the Pelicans had what it takes to make it to the finals and said if the team would make it to the Finals, the two would join the Pelicans’ cheerleading squad. And so, for game three of the finals Kunnas and Palomaki will be cheerleaders for Pelicans.
The SM-Liiga finals series will start on the 16th of April.
Contact the author: janne.virtanen@prohockeynews.com
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