Ice Hockey World Championships | The strangeness of the Nokia arena torments the goalkeepers – Harri Säteri of the Lions: “You have to be extra precise”

Sport|Ice Hockey World Championships

Tampere

Finland men’s hockey team goalkeeper Harri Säteri said before the start of the World Cup that he had been waiting for home runs throughout the season.

Born in Toijala, but moved to Tampere, Säteri was able to perform for the blue-and-white audience of the Nokia arena on Saturday, where familiar faces swarmed.

Familiar with Tappara’s home games Petri Kääriäinen the applause Säteri received on the ice of Finland’s opening field was only a hint of a sound king Mikael Granlundista.

“There were extra butterflies in my stomach, but in a good way. It was absolutely awesome to be on the ice for the first time as the home crowd roared. Bongas from many familiar stands, ”Säteri smiled.

“There are butterflies in my stomach before every game, but there was a bit of a similar feeling last time at the Olympics.”

Säteri, 32, thought for a long time because he had last put on a lion shirt in Tampere. In the end, the experienced star guard ended up in the World Championships for under-18s in early 2007. At that time, Finland was sadly left in the qualifying series.

“Bad memories from there. Not going there, ”Säteri laughed.

Finland knocked out the World Cup in his second match Mikael Granlundin (1 + 1) with overpowering after a wet evening in Latvia with goals 2–1 (0–1, 1–0, 1–0).

Latvia improved dramatically from its opening in the United States on Friday. Finland was particularly tempted by Latvia’s fighting defense and the number one chain duo Ronald Kenins–Rudolf Balcers.

Balcers, 25, represents San Jose Sharks at club level and is one of Latvia’s four NHL reinforcements. Weight with the word confirmation – that ‘s what Balcers really did for Latvia, as did Granlund for Finland. It was Balcers and Kenins, who earned their livelihood in Lausanne, Switzerland, that took the lead in Latvia from the counterattack.

“Latvia defended the damn well, but we were tenacious. It was our strength that we waited for our turn and hit when we got the seats, ”Säteri estimates.

Finland like Säteri and Jussi to Olkinuora. A year ago, the result was World Championship silver. In February, Olympic gold was strung on the lions’ necks.

Olkinuora reset Norway at the World Cup opening ceremony on Friday, and there was nothing wrong with Säter’s performance. The goal of the Balcers would not have been stopped by any mortal.

“Our situation is good. Just the same one you throw in the oven so it works, but there is a lot of work ahead. We have to keep it that way, ”Säteri reminded.

Started the World Hockey Championships are played in a wide bowl. Then President of the International Hockey Federation René Fasel reported in 2019 that ahead of this spring’s World Cup, the North American model would be held in a narrow trough.

The Nokia Arena and the original second host of the Helsinki Arena would have been transformed into a narrow box, but since the Russian-owned Helsinki Arena was not eligible to host the World Championships, the A-block had to be moved to a more traditional ice rink in Helsinki.

There was no narrow trough in the Helsinki Ice Rink, so the World Championships will be played in a wide 28 x 60 meter box, contrary to the original guidelines.

The difference between a narrow and a wide trough is big for goalkeepers. This is known to Säteri, who fought the rest of the season in the NHL in Arizona Coyotes.

“For me, changing the trough matters a lot. All the angles are really changing. In a small trough, everything is closer, there is more traffic and there is less space behind the paint, ”Säteri explained.

One One of the special features of the Nokia arena, which is especially painful for goalkeepers, is its trough. Especially from the plexiglass of the arena, the game device has seemed to bounce unpredictably at any time in both the men’s hockey league and the World Cup.

Strange bounces were also seen on Saturday. Säteri said that goalkeepers are forced to take into account the nimble sides of the Nokia arena.

If the goalkeeper goes too bold to cut the end disc behind the goal, a sudden change of direction of the puck can, in the worst case, lead to the opponent’s goal.

“Especially those glasses sometimes get pretty interesting. It’s probably because of the way the glasses are attached to each other. The disc sometimes bounces off the brackets, ”Säteri said.

“Yes, that’s when you pick up the puck from behind. You have to be extra precise and watch the puck at all times. ”

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