Eagles grounded

The key team in yesterday’s Suomi-sarja group D games turned out to be LeKi-75. They’ve probably had better weekends. On Saturday they travelled to Imatra only to be thrashed 8-1 by runaway league leaders Ketterä. Small wonder perhaps, considering they didn’t have enough forwards even for three lines. They kept the game close for two periods, being only 2-1 down at the end of the second, but the wheels well and truly came off in the third. Two further goals sealed their fate, and after they had a man sent off 10 minutes from time, the flood gates opened. Good news, however, arrived in the form of TuusKi’s narrow victory over Eagles, which guaranteed at least fourth place for LeKi-75 and qualification for next season’s Suomi-sarja.

The same depleted squad travelled to Kuusankoski on Sunday for what had become effectively a nothing game for LeKi-75. They duly lost 9-1, a result that guaranteed qualification for the home team and simultaneously rendered anything Varkaus Eagles might do irrelevant. For their part, the Eagles, who had to win heavily in 60 minutes to stand even the thinnest chance of qualification, were fighting hard against the league’s ground floor dwellers, NasKi, in Pajulahti. In a game wracked by 27 two minute penalties, Eagles eventually succumbed 6-4 after leading part way through the second 1-4. The game in Kuusankoski started 40 minutes before the one in Pajulahti and LeKi-75’s case was hopeless even by the end of the second period, factors which may have contributed to the Eagles’ third period performance. It was also a surprise to see Ryan Hirtle’s name on the team sheet for the last two games as I had understood he is persona non grata in the team. An explanation is offered here.