A different animal

In a dramatic game in Raksila last night, Kärpät progressed to their third successive final at the expense of Blues. The game followed a familiar pattern: Blues opened the scoring, as they had done in all the previous encounters in this series, in a fast and skillful opening period. The first penalty of the game was against Jari Viuhkola for hooking after 10:08, and was almost spent when the dangerous Toni Kähkönen collected the puck on the right and headed directly for goal with just the last defender and Tuomas Tarkki to beat. Unfortunately for us, the “defender” turned out to be Jonas Andersson, whose idea of what to do in this situation probably won’t be found in too many coaching manuals. Having skipped round the prone Andersson, Kähkönen found the corner of the net with aplomb. Blues’ lead lasted until they got their first penalty, when Kristian Kuusela hammered past Mikko Koskinen from Josef Boumedienne’s pass. A goal each at the first break.

The less said about the second period, the better. We coughed up two simple goals that should never have seen the light of day. In just over a minute, Ryan Keller restored the visitors’ lead and then Tomi Ståhlhammar stretched it. The arrears were reduced to 2-3 mid-way through the final period when Justin Forrest added another to his tally, and then came the final throw of the dice in the last minutes when Tarkki headed for the bench and the home side played with a man advantage but an empty net behind them. Ben Eaves almost found the unguarded goal from long range, and had he done so then the 7th game, planned for tomorrow, might well have been needed. Such is how things go, though, and with just 34 seconds remaining, aged Ilves reject Vesa Viitakoski popped up yet again to level the scores at 3-3.

Extra time was just 37 seconds old when Kuusela got 2 minutes for high sticking. Less than half a minute later Kärpät had their backs against the wall when Boumedienne joined his colleague in the penalty bin, after carelessly directing his clearance straight into the crowd. Talking of which, the crowd was more than 1000 below capacity. Bearing in mind that, whatever the outcome, this was Kärpät’s last home game in the semi-final, that’s a far from impressive turn out, writes one who watched this particular game from the comfort of a friend’s front room in Kokkola. One wonders, however, to what extent Stockmann’s Hullut Päivät affected the crowd figures. Presumably somewhat more than friends’ daughter’s birthday parties, er… Meanwhile, across town in Raksila, a hard-working Kärpät defence kept Blues to no serious shots on goal for the full minute and a half of the two man advantage. Half a minute later the home side were back to full strength, and less than 40 seconds after that Blues were out. The talented yet enigmatic Juhamatti Aaltonen received the puck and went on one of his meandering skateabouts that all too frequently end in frustrating nothingness. This time, however, the end resulted in pandemonium. He created space for himself in front of net and then rattled the puck into the top corner past a helpless Koskinen.

It’s difficult to find myself writing this, but there’s nothing wrong with this Blues side. They play fast and attractive ice hockey in a manner that is starting to heal the gaping sore created by Markku Tuomainen’s witless hack on Petr Tenkrat all those years ago. Of all the SM-liiga sides, Blues accrued the least penalty minutes for the whole of this season’s runkosarja. They’ve transformed themselves from expensive, under-achieving sausage munchers, into serious Championship contenders in just a couple of seasons. While we were piddling around the nether regions of the CHL’s inaugral season, Blues were trumpetting their way into the semis. Their travelling support to Oulu has reached such proportions that it now fills a minibus.

So why didn’t they beat us? Not by any stretch of the imagination were Blues without the opportunity to win this semi-final. Yesterday they led 1-3 with one period to go, and still led by a goal with a little over half a minute of the hour still to run, but were pegged back. In extra time, they had a two man advantage for a full 90 seconds, but couldn’t make that tell. In the previous game in Espoo, they opened up a 2-0 lead, but in the defensive carnage that followed, went down 5-7. In the third game, also in Espoo, Blues led 2-1 before Boumedienne rescued Kärpät with just 41 seconds on the clock. Five minutes into extra time Tarkki pulled off a stupendous save to deny a bewildered Petri Kokko, and in the next attack Tommi Paakkolanvaara ended a 30 game goal drought to secure victory for the visitors. Of their 4 defeats in this semi-final series, Blues led in all of them at some stage, in two of them by two goals, and in two of  the games were within 45 seconds of victory, having an empty net at the other end to take pot shots at. Perhaps the same thing can be viewed from a different perspective.

Of Kärpät’s 4 victories in this semi-final series, we trailed in all of them at some stage, in two of them by two goals, and in two of the games were within 45 seconds of defeat. We forced both these games to extra time, but in both faced further prospect of defeat. However, when it really mattered, we found the resources first to survive, and then turn defeat into victory. Today’s local rag, Kaleva, printed a statistic about Kärpät’s play off games of the last 6 seasons. Of these games, 17 have gone into extra time, and of these, just 2 have been lost. That’s a rather lop-sided statistic, but a very handy one to have in the play offs, where every game is a cup final.

There’s nothing either new or unique about any of this, of course. There have been plenty of teams in many different sports whose resilience in trying circumstances has resulted in their sustained success. Against JyP in the final, this ability to dig ourselves out of sizeable holes might be called upon again. Their well-financed resurgence in the last couple of seasons has seen them be the only team to have a league points surplus against us for both seasons. What they might not quite have to the same degree is hardened experience of the play offs.

The third place match will be between Blues and KalPa. Victory for the Kuopiolaiset will ensure that the top three spots in SM-liiga belong to the league’s three northernmost clubs.

Kärpät – Blues, 28.3.09

Kärpät – Blues 3-2 (0-1, 2-0, 1-1)

The seventh meeting between these teams this season and the seventh time the result has been decided by a single goal. The home side levelled this best of, errr, 7 semi-final series a game apiece by doing better than their opponents what matters most: finishing. The quality of Blues’ play was often superior to that of Kärpät’s — slicker passing, better movement off the puck — most noticeably in the first period, and led to more clearer cut chances, but poor finishing, and sometimes even no finishing, mean that they’re heading back to the confines of kehä III having lost a game they could’ve won. Not that I’m complaining.

All five goals came with the man advantage. On 7:22 Josef Boumedienne collected the first of his evening’s penalties, which lasted for precisely 15 seconds when Ben Eaves fed Toni Kähkönen to lash home from mid-range. This was no less than the visitors deserved at this point, and should’ve served as a spur to Kärpät to higher efforts, but didn’t. What did kick us into life was the dismissal of Atte Ohtamaa on the 10 minute mark for scything down Ben Eaves with his leg. The outright injustice of the decision, fuelled by the appropriate crowd reaction, led to the next few minutes being forget-the-puck-where’s-the-player ice hockey. No further goals, however, left the visitors a goal to the good at the first interval.

The game swung in Kärpät’s direction in the second period. Blues picked up 10 minutes in penalties, the first of which ended early when Kristian Kuusela hammered the puck through and past a hopelessly unsighted Mikko Koskinen into the net after 21:25. The last of the penalties also ended early, at 34:15 when Josef Boumedienne had the wit to fire the puck in from the blue line deliberately wide for the unmarked Toni Koivisto to guide into the net. The home lead evaporated in the final period when Ben Eaves shot fiercely into a crowded goalmouth. The loose puck landed on Petri Lammassaari’s blade, which promptly swept it past the stranded Tuomas Tarkki for the 2-2 equaliser. Two minutes later a similar scene was re-enacted at the other end of the rink. A Boumedienne shot and a goalmouth game of pinball came to an end when Vesa Viitakoski got enough wood behind his shot to score the decider. A tight game that could have gone either way. The third match is in Espoo on Monday.

Blues bow out of CHL

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Blues bow out of CHL

The International Ice Hockey Federation celebrated its centenary with a new competition for 2008-09. Finland’s last representatives went out at the semi-final stage, but the new competition looks set to rejuvenate European club hockey.

EGAN RICHARDSON

HELSINKI TIMES

FINNISH participation in the inaugural Champions Hockey league came to an end last week with Espoo Blues’ disappointing 4-1 semi-final second leg loss at home to Zurich Lions on 7 January. Zurich’s Finnish goaltender Ari Sulander saved 33 shots to keep Blues at bay, just one day after his 40^th birthday.

Zurich were favourites to advance when they arrived to Finland, after a 6-3 victory in the first leg ensured they could not lose the tie without a penalty shoot-out, thanks to the points system in operation in the Champions Hockey League. The system awards three points for a win and one point for a draw, even in the knock-out stage, with teams equal on points after both legs of a knock-out tie going to penalties to determine the winner. Blues have an appalling record in shoot-outs, and would have needed to win the second leg in normal time just to get that far.

With 500 Zurich fans outshouting the home support at the LänsiAutoAreena, the atmosphere was raucous even when Blues went 2-0 down in the first period. Both goals came on the power play, from Espoo’s first two penalties, and it was clear that the cow bell winging ultras in the top tier were going to enjoy the night. They even sang rude songs about Espoo, endearing themselves to everyone who is not entirely sold on Tapiola, the “Garden City”.

Blues rallied in the second period, pulling a goal back through Ismo Kuoppala on 33:40, but they could not find a fluent offence, and when they did manage to get shots in Sulander was there to save Zurich. Blues were magnanimous in defeat.

Zurich Better

“We played well tonight, but Zurich just played better,” said Blues Head Coach Petri Matikainen.

“They skated well and they are a good organized team,” said Blues defenceman Dale Clark. “We showed a big difference from last game and I think it shows a lot of character how we battled back. We had a strong third, but that’s just how it goes sometimes.”

The competition has now established itself as a major attraction for Finnish and Swiss clubs, a gratifying result for Ovation Sports, the marketing company retained to give hockey its own version of the UEFA Champions League.

The parallels are clear to anyone who has watched both competitions. The rinks and jerseys are clean, with only two sponsors allowed to advertise in CHL arenas. The competition has a hard fought group stage, then a knock-out round and final. The best countries get to send more clubs to the tournament, which ensures a minimum standard is maintained, while the clubs that fail to qualify still get more in prize money than they did under the old European Cup.

No Demolition

The step change from the old days of European competition, when a weekend tournament would see a few teams playing at half pace, or the even older days, when CSKA Moscow would demolish everything in front of them, makes the CHL an attractive proposition for fans.

“I am absolutely sure that it will be a big thing for Finnish clubs in the future, they all want to participate in it,” said CHL Media Officer Timo Walden. “Blues and Kärpät committed to the tournament this year and played at a high intensity, setting a good example and really boosting the competition here.”

While the reaction in Sweden has been more muted, mainly because both Swedish clubs performed badly in this year’s competition, Espoo have shown Finnish clubs that the excitement, full houses and prize money are an excellent way to lift a club in the middle of the season.

“The first Blues game against HV71 was the most memorable game for me. Before that nobody really knew how the competition would be received, if the arena would be full or if we would get good media coverage. As it turned out, Blues beat the Swedish club and everybody was very excited – it really gave the competition a lift in Finland.”

Zurich will now face Metallurg Magnitogorsk in the final, over two legs. Zurich’s home leg will be played in nearby Rapperswill as their home arena is booked for a cycling competition, while the trip to the far side of the Urals will present its own challenges. The winner of the final will play against an NHL team for the Victoria Cup, as part of the IIHF marketing link-up with the NHL.

Finnish qualifiers for next season’s CHL will be the regular season winner and the play-off winner in the 2008-09 season. After Blues took a total of €700,000 in prize money this year (not including gate receipts and other spin-offs), the race for domestic success will have a little bit more spice than usual.

Varkaus Eagles: The End?

Some sad news emanating from Varkaus is that the Eagles’ management have made a decision to cease operations. This must be considered unofficial at the moment since the only source of information is this rather vague announcement on a fans’ web site linked from the front page of the Eagles’ own site. Requests for more information from both Keith McAdams and Eagles management have yet to be replied to.

According to the announcement, the decision to quit was caused by the financial mess the club is in. How it got into that mess is a matter of speculation with the various parties apparently blaming each other, and a number of accusations relating to the financing, none of which can be verified at the moment, being levelled at McAdams. If the stories reaching here from across the pond can be believed, this would not be the first time he has been the recipient of such comments.

All of which leaves a small group of young men in Varkaus with an uncertain immediate future. A once promising ice hockey team is fast disappearing down the pan. A hopelessly under-strength squad nevertheless carved out two victories (the first in extra time) in their first two games of the season. Last weekend the chaos off the ice spread onto the ice, hardly surprisingly, and the Eagles took successive hammerings on the Saturday and Sunday. Whether the Eagles will fulfill any more fixtures is not yet known.

Helsinki’s BIG Night

Thursday 2nd October 2008 will long be remembered as one of Helsinki’s greatest sporting days. In the decades to come, grey haired old men and women will sit their grandchildren on their knee and recount with warmth the events of this blustery cold day, for this is the day that an ice hockey team represented by a furry, water-loving animal, flew from afar to our capital city. Yes they talk a strange language, but this is a team packed with stars, with household names that trip over the tongue, and they’ve come to show their silky skills to Helsinki’s finest. There’s talk of making this a more regular fixture, but for the moment this one match is all we have to savour. Yes folks, it’s HIFK versus Kärpät, that clash of the titans. Sadly, Nelonen have made a navigational error and taken their cameras to Jaffa where there’s some kind of sideshow going on.

Jokerit 1-4 Penguins (0-2)(0-0)(1-2)

Well, the TV’s a bit different: the clock counts down instead of up, there’s a hell of a lot of commercials and even the pyjama men no longer look like they’re on their way to fetch a milky drink. What is the world coming to? Answer: some money-spinning exercise. An exhibition match by billing, and an exhibition match was what we got. Jokerit had their moments, but for elongated periods were completely outclassed by a Penguins team that frequently didn’t need to sweat too much. Faster in thought and deed, and better organised and more skillful, they gave the impression they could have ratcheted up a far bigger victory had they really put their minds to it.  Two goals in the first period for the visitors through Malkin’s not quite hit right shot from the blue line which Riksman nevertheless completely lost, and then at the death of the period via Fedotenko’s close range shot, taken quickly and efficiently while three defenders stood around inefficiently, admiring his handiwork. Lahti pulled one back in the third with a penalty shot and then, shortly afterwards, rattled the pipework, but Kennedy and Dupuis then gave the scoreboard a more realistic look.

So what did we get out of it? Well, for the doubters there was confirmation of the gulf in class between the NHL and Europe, for the Penguins a final shake down before things start in earnest which they doubtless put to good use, for the unwashed the chance to see a top flight game (albeit minus a large slice of commitment) without having to pay, and for Jokerit?

Kärpät – Jokerit 27.9.08

Kärpät 6-0 Jokerit (3-0)(2-0)(1-0)

End of the first period and Kärpät have a lead that slightly flatters them. Daneil Corso opened the scoring when left completely free in front of goal during a power play. The second came from Oskari Korpikari’s lashed shot from range with Kuusela and a defender masking Hallikainen, and Jonas Andersson added the third, surprising Hallikainen with a sharp turn. A noticeable difference in approach to taking goal chances: Jokerit are very much shoot on sight whereas Kärpät wait to create a good opening. An assured performance so far from Petri Koivisto in the home net, saving sharply a couple of times and even dummying Mike Bishai in front of his own net.

Forty minutes gone and Kärpät are over the hill and away. Jokerit started the second period still in the dressing room and early goals from Toni Koivisto and Kristian Kuusela killed off any realistic prospects of a Jokerit recovery. Not that that dissuaded them from trying. Kärpät’s reaction to the extended lead was to sit on it, and the visitors were not slow to take advantage. Clearly in the ascendancy during most of this period, they created a string of chances which were met by Petri Koivisto’s continued sharpness. His team mates in front of him were a different story, and matters reached a state such that Matti Alatalo felt compelled to call a time out in order to read the riot act afer 15 minutes. The final 5 minutes saw Kärpät reach parity in the play.

At the final whistle Kärpät have a victory that they can never beforehand have dreamed would be so comfortable. Juho Keränen added the sixth immediately at the start of the period. Journeyman Pasi Nielikäinen made his usual contribution to the proceedings by stacking up the penalty minutes, firstly and secondly being years behind everyone else in his comprehension of what is acceptable when tackling from behind, and thirdly not knowing when it’s time to keep his mouth shut. A calm, level-headed and ruthless performance from the champions, and one to quieten further those who were calling for Matti Alatalo’s head just a few games back.