Kiekko-Espoo will not say goodbye to Mest as champion.
Kiekko-Espoon reign as Mesti's ice hockey champion will last one season. The matter was confirmed on Monday, when the team lost the fourth semi-final in their home hall to Ketterä of Imatra 1–2.
The semi-final series of the two final pairs from the previous spring ended with Ketterä winning cleanly 4–0.
The match series was difficult for the team that suffered from illnesses, just like the head coach Tomas Westerlund packed at a press conference hosted by MTV Katsomo.
“Yes, every guy there tore up what could be torn up. Sympathies to the guys there. Yes, everyone put themselves into the league, even though the team was in a challenging situation,” said Westerlund.
“We knew it was a challenging situation. We didn't know if there were any injuries or if we were sore, but we knew that there were a lot of key men out there and we got to attack it”, Ketterä's head coach Kari Martikainen your comp.
Kiekko-Espoo started the quarterfinals against Tuto wonderfully by winning the first three matches. However, the physical series and the illnesses took their toll: a dot walked around the reigning champion's dressing room at the most important moment of the season, which upset Westerlund.
“We saw what kind of hockey we were able to play in the Tuto series and bring out the best in ourselves, but this is life and illness is a part of this life,” he said.
“We cannot influence them in any way.”
Tomas Westerlund coached Kiekko-Espoo this season.
The match the solution was born a star striker Miku Ronkainen with a sharp shot in 56.46. Ronkainen nailed the puck Petteri Rimpinen directly behind the number one center Eetu Paasovaara input.
“They say that you don't get to score those goals every day or even every year. For me, at least mentally, it's a really big goal,” Ronkainen, who moved from Forssa Palloseura to the ranks of the perennial success for this season, told MTV Katsomo.
The third link of the chain Mikko Haaparanta after the red line, a puck was thrown into the end, creating a goal slot, when Paasovaara separated Kiekko-Espoo with his tackle Venni Tolppolan came off the puck and hit the end of the puck into the corner of the goal.
Agile's opening goal came at the beginning of the second period, when Rasmus Ruusunen apply Aleksi Sinkkonen from the line shot and Anri Ravinskis from the end of the puck directed in front of the goal and turned it into the back corner.
Sinkkonen first tried to surprise Rimpinen from the front corner, but he got in the way of the puck. However, Sinkkonen placed the return puck at the foot of the back post.
After the fourth semi-final, Westerlund gave the best recognition to Kettera, who has played in the finals every year since spring 2019. The place in the finals is the Fifth in a row, because the spring 2020 playoffs were canceled due to the corona pandemic.
“There was no doubt about which team was better. Big credit to their organization,” Westerlund said.
K-Espoo–Ketterä 1–2 (match series 0–4)
On the rise: After Sport and KooKoo, Kiekko-Espoo is the third team to leave Mestis in a position other than as champion. Of those who received a league license as champions, only Jukurit has entered the SM league as champions.
In the invoice: Illnesses hit Kiekko-Espoose at the worst possible moment in the middle of the quarterfinals. The team goes into the bronze medal match with only one win in their last eight games.
Back Kiekko-Espoo, who appeared against the wall in the Metro-arena, played a strong opening set and also successfully moved to the driver's place already in 1.54, when Noel Pietilän the line shot sank Santeri Lipiainen behind.
Quad chain Rasmus Toivainen–Aatu Laakso–Morten Jürgens made a strong preliminary work for the hit. Toivainen played the puck forward from the central area, Jürgens returned it to the line and Laakso made a mask in front of Lipiäinen.
Kiekko-Espoo, who will start in the SM league next fall, say goodbye to Mestis in the bronze medal match, which will be played according to the preliminary schedule on Wednesday, April 10.
“The bronze game is a bit like that, dividing opinions on whether it's worth playing or not. Now, when it is played, then it is always played for the win. We have a good chance to make a great end to this season,” said Westerlund.
If Kiekko-Espoo's opponent is Kokkola's Hermes, the match will be played in Espoo. If Hermes continues its surprises and makes it to the finals, Kiekko-Espoo would travel as a guest of Iisalmi Peli-Karhuje.
The semi-final series between IPK and Hermes is at 2–2.
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