Liiga Playoffs: Tappara and KooKoo reach the finals after game six successes

[p][b]Following a best ever finish of second in the regular season, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/kookoo/ljjApDE3/"]KooKoo[/a] have reached the finals for the first time.[/b] [b]They [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/hockey/kookoo-ljjApDE3/saipa-Q9sYH4O9/?mid=WUhE0GbT"]won 3-2 in overtime[/a] away at [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/saipa/Q9sYH4O9/"]SaiPa[/a] to take their place in the trophy showdown[/b] and condemn last year's runner-up to the third-place playoff.[/p][p]SaiPa had come from two games down to level the series after four, but a 4-0 win at home had swung momentum back in KooKoo's favour ahead of game six in Lappeenranta.[/p][embed guid="a38fad04-4469-44d8-9488-c5d35dbef75c" url="https://x.com/smliiga/status/2048830755875229785" social-type="twitter" /][p]Not that one would know it, as the home side took the lead dead on five minutes when [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/klintrup-eero/6ebnU05p/"]Eero Klintrup[/a]'s pass across was tucked home by [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/appelgren-niklas/jVeMiK53/"]Niklas Appelgren[/a]. But the visitors ensured the first period ended level, when the in-form [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/siikonen-miska/Ue7NilOn/"]Miska Siikonen[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/meskanen-ville/xKmHxIvN/"]Ville Meskanen[/a] combined for the latter to equalise.[/p][p]Meskanen then continued that good form 15 minutes into the second period, as his assist allowed [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/miettinen-veeti/YuStjev4/"]Veeti Miettinen[/a] to put KooKoo ahead for the first time, but after Siikonen was called for tripping two minutes later, SaiPa capitalised through [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/fortier-maxime/4lvbJve9/"]Maxime Fortier[/a]'s powerplay goal following great work from [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/emil-kuusla/rqxZrdAp/"]Emil Kuusla[/a].[/p][p]A powerplay apiece in the third period was not enough for either side to settle it in 60 minutes, but five minutes into overtime, KooKoo did just that. [b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/berger-joseph/zeViBqAP/"]Joseph Berger[/a]'s effort was saved, and of the three players queuing up for the rebound, it was [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/luoto-oskari/bsEX1802/"]Oskari Luoto[/a] who got the goal that cements him in KooKoo history.[/b][/p][embed guid="1c4261b8-2d65-48d7-ac07-9f3f2a527770" url="https://x.com/smliiga/status/2048847048753975604" social-type="twitter" /][p]Joining the final newbies are the side that have lifted the trophy more times than anyone else - [b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/tappara/llrWVOwG/"]Tappara[/a] came from 2-0 down in their series with city rivals [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/ilves-tampere/Oh5uGzDT/"]Ilves[/a], winning four matches in a row to seal a 4-2 series win of their own, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/hockey/ilves-Oh5uGzDT/tappara-llrWVOwG/?mid=dKf52uvg"]edging game six 4-3[/a].[/b][/p][p]Fittingly, the Battle Axe also had to come behind over the course of 60 minutes. After the first period, a game-seven decider seemed very likely as Ilves went 3-0 up. [/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/jasek-lukas/0OkXrem5/"]Lukas Jasek[/a] put them ahead inside two minutes when his shot flew through a crowded goal area, then the lead was doubled on five minutes when [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/engberg-teemu/S8r4pVpf/"]Teemu Engberg[/a] cut in from the right and fired home, before [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/nyberg-john/4YamAHJq/"]John Nyberg[/a] found [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/henman-luke/ADRnATR0/"]Luke Henman[/a] to add the third with under 12 minutes played.[/p][p]But as much as the first period was Ilves', the second belonged to Tappara - a too many men on the ice call against the Lynx three minutes in proved the catalyst for the comeback, as [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/tanus-kristian/xSsQo1jE/"]Kristian Tanus[/a] netted the powerplay goal.[/p][p]And the designated visitors were back within one after eight minutes when [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/tuulola-joni/xpsGoyZp/"]Joni Tuulola[/a]'s blocked shot was tapped in by an alert [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/simontaival-kasper/AoVpUCbM/"]Kasper Simontaival[/a]. Then, the Ilves lead was wiped out before the midpoint, when [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/jokipakka-jyrki/vi6SmFM5/"]Jyrki Jokipakka[/a] had time in the centre to place his shot past [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/pavlat-dominik/6ZgG0Tde/"]Dominik Pavlat[/a].[/p][p]Four minutes into period three, the [b]turnaround was complete when [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/brickley-daniel/WxBlASdr/"]Daniel Brickley[/a] caught [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/blichfeld-joachim/zD6cncwU/"]Joachim Blichfeld[/a]'s lay off with the sweetest of one-timers that sailed into the net[/b], and Tappara held on to reach another final, giving themselves to win the Liiga title for the fourth time in five years.[/p][embed guid="fba47b6a-79b6-4e3d-9c35-4fba39b66a13" url="https://x.com/smliiga/status/2048818711369224558" social-type="twitter" /][p][b]Defeat means Ilves must be content with a one-off match for bronze against SaiPa on 30th April. Then, the best-of-seven series between the last two standing begins with game one in Tampere on 2nd May.[/b][/p][p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/hockey/finland/liiga/"]Follow the Liiga Finals on Flashscore.[/a][/b][/p]