Assat and Jukurit earn clear wins to join early pacesetters in Liiga

[p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/assat-pori/I9wm5xTA/"]Assat[/a] are top of the table[/b] on goal difference after they won for the third time in a row since beginning the season in defeat. They won [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/hockey/assat-I9wm5xTA/vaasan-sport-Qqy8aCTd/?mid=ShWm62S0"]5-1[/a] against [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/vaasan-sport/Qqy8aCTd/"]Vaasan Sport[/a], last season's strugglers who have three defeats from five so far.[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/doucet-alexandre/MNeQf9gG/"]Alexandre Doucet[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/hillis-cameron/tYFp2qP5/"]Cameron Hillis[/a] led the way for the Aces with a goal and an assit each as the hosts went 2-0 up in the first period, then pulled themselves clear after Sport got themselves back in the game briefly in the second period.[/p][embed guid="ee0f9bd3-f5c8-4096-861a-d7146d88cf7f" url="https://x.com/smliiga/status/2099892332627722360" social-type="twitter" /][p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/pelicans-lahti/nJrUIp93/"]Pelicans[/a] lost their unbeaten start to stay on nine points and slip to second[/b] in the table on goal difference. They went down [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/hockey/pelicans-nJrUIp93/tappara-llrWVOwG/?mid=xtq2F65E"]3-2[/a] at home to champions [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/tappara/llrWVOwG/"]Tappara[/a], who secured their first league win of the season, but in just their second game.[/p][p]Tappara went 2-0 up after 14 minutes, but the Lahti side had pegged them back to 2-2 by the 14th minute of period two. However, after [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/haapala-henrik/GCsbPPgB/"]Henrik Haapala[/a] struck on the powerplay early in the third, the Tampere side were able to close out the win.[/p][embed guid="0159240c-4803-49f7-a0d2-8223b818a1a7" url="https://x.com/smliiga/status/2099887708374024204" social-type="twitter" /][p]The third side in the nine-point club are [b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/jukurit/vmuCbWr3/"]Jukurit[/a], albeit their third win of the season came in their fifth match[/b]. A [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/hockey/jukurit-vmuCbWr3/tps-turku-Wd5rVrgM/?mid=fuYu8Ocl"]4-1[/a] away win at [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/tps-turku/Wd5rVrgM/"]TPS Turku[/a] is by no means unimpressive, handing the home side a second loss in a row after they began with a pair of victories.[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/ford-connor/jaOt2jzm/"]Connor Ford[/a] scored the second of the game to put the visitors 2-0 up, then made it a brace for himself late on with an empty-net goal, made all the more meaningful by Jukurit being shorthanded at the time.[/p][embed guid="4307586f-c21c-4767-8913-ef4bb822a139" url="https://x.com/smliiga/status/2099896166846431628" social-type="twitter" /][p]The most impressive performance of the night went to [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/kalpa-kuopio/tMuMK6vi/"]KalPa[/a], who thrashed [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/hameenlinna/zV5a4drH/"]Hameenlinna[/a] [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/hockey/hameenlinna-zV5a4drH/kalpa-tMuMK6vi/?mid=pndGi3D7"]7-0[/a] on home ice. It's two home wins and two home defeats thus far for the Kuopio side, while HPK have followed up an opening day win with three losses.[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/lyytinen-joonas/pYxUXSAL/"]Joonas Lyytinen[/a] was the only scorer of the first period as KalPa were guilty of four two-minute penalties, but once they kept their men on the ice, they were unstoppable, as Lyytinen was one of four scorers in the second period, and in the third, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/maenpaa-juuso/IZtcuepl/"]Juuso Maenpaa[/a] also completed his brace. At the other end, [b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/korhonen-rasmus/vV8sGK5k/"]Rasmus Korhonen[/a] made 21 saves to shut the visitors out.[/b][/p][embed guid="ea65b097-2d5e-4e4b-85da-dcbf84e8aee7" url="https://x.com/smliiga/status/2099925838774821235" social-type="twitter" /][p]Finally, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/saipa/Q9sYH4O9/"]SaiPa[/a] made it two wins from their two matches in the Liiga thus far, though they needed overtime to see off [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/kiekko-espoo/IVYOkYeB/"]Kiekko-Espoo[/a], who have seven points from their four matches thus far, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/hockey/kiekko-espoo-IVYOkYeB/saipa-Q9sYH4O9/?mid=OdsADpzR"]2-1[/a].[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/niinisaari-samuli/KAyswuJ8/"]Samuli Niinisaari[/a] opened the scoring for the hosts in period two before [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/vaisanen-jere/dnrWZIKt/"]Jere Vaisanen[/a] equalised early in the third, but there would be no chance for KE to reply when [b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/palmu-petrus/fi8PSdv6/"]Petrus Palmu[/a] struck just over two minutes into the extra period.[/b][/p][p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/hockey/finland/liiga/"]Follow the 2026/27 Liiga season on Flashscore.[/a][/b][/p]