Liiga Playoffs: Hameenlinna complete Lukko upset as Kiekko and KalPa stay alive

[p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/hameenlinna/zV5a4drH/"]Hameenlinna[/a] have caused the second major upset of the playoffs already, after 11th seeds [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/pelicans-lahti/nJrUIp93/"]Pelicans[/a] completed a 3-0 series whitewash over JYP 24 hours earlier, and have done it after recovering from a loss in the first match.[/p][p]The unlikely winning streak for the side who lost three of the last four in the regular season looked to be continuing [b]in the 13th minute when [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/wright-cameron/UutRvV8E/"]Cameron Wright[/a] stole the puck in [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/lukko-rauman/hdqQJQgc/"]Lukko[/a] territory and beat the goaltender at his near post for his third goal of the series.[/b][/p][embed guid="62b026b1-23e1-4dfa-918d-a760e3675a47" url="https://x.com/smliiga/status/2036488345602208004" social-type="twitter" /][p]Things got worse for the visitors early in the second period when [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/westerholm-ponthus/vyYXTMc3/"]Ponthus Westerholm[/a] was called for hooking, and on the powerplay, [b]Wright had time and space on the right to send the puck in front of the net, where [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/paivarinta-sami/ATSwOrgO/"]Sami Paivarinta[/a] was on hand to divert it in.[/b][/p][p]It was 3-0 five minutes before the end of the second, as [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/caron-thomas/25saTuwA/"]Thomas Caron[/a]'s powerful finish flew into the net, and though [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/stenqvist-jakob/xdaPz4Q1/"]Jakob Stenqvist[/a] pulled one back for Lukko with six minutes to go, comeback hopes were ended just two minutes later through [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/hakulinen-anrei/zimY1Ci1/"]Anrei Hakulinen[/a]'s empty-net goal to make it [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/hockey/hameenlinna-zV5a4drH/lukko-hdqQJQgc/?mid=tzL2LqrK"]4-1[/a].[/p][p][b]Hameenlinna will face top seeds [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/tappara/llrWVOwG/"]Tappara[/a] in the quarter-finals, while Pelicans are now confirmed to meet [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/kookoo/ljjApDE3/"]KooKoo[/a] in the best-of-seven series.[/b][/p][embed guid="0a26a6b1-1252-4e8f-83a3-617e53ba5b3e" url="https://x.com/smliiga/status/2036515655155843373" social-type="twitter" /][p][b]After two overtime losses put them on the brink of suffering a sweep, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/kiekko-espoo/IVYOkYeB/"]Kiekko-Espoo[/a] have levelled their series with [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/assat-pori/I9wm5xTA/"]Assat[/a] at 2-2 following a [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/hockey/assat-I9wm5xTA/kiekko-espoo-IVYOkYeB/?mid=zcI3eBoT"]4-1[/a] victory on home ice.[/b][/p][p]The visitors knew a win would take them to the quarter-finals with a game to spare, and began well, as [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/tammela-jonne/6RBTRGgC/"]Jonne Tammela[/a] put them ahead as early as the second minute.[/p][p]That's how things stayed until the midpoint of the game when the KE turnaround began - [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/hillis-cameron/tYFp2qP5/"]Cameron Hillis[/a] drew his side level on a powerplay after [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/alasiurua-arttu/xpxZKuTC/"]Arttu Alasiurua[/a] was called for slashing, and just over five minutes later [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/virtanen-santeri/0UOMT90D/"]Santeri Virtanen[/a] reacted quickest to a loose puck and fired the hosts ahead.[/p][p]Midway through the third period, the Espoo side again turned to Hillis, whose second of the game gave Kiekko a two-goal cushion, which they extended in the final three minutes, when [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/vaisanen-jere/dnrWZIKt/"]Jere Vaisanen[/a] struck the puck into the Aces' empty net.[/p][embed guid="5f55bdc1-1598-4f54-a6a6-3c226ec97929" url="https://x.com/smliiga/status/2036502211501457897" social-type="twitter" /][p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/kalpa-kuopio/tMuMK6vi/"]KalPa[/a] have also kept their season alive and levelled their series with [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/ifk-helsinki/Ige43GcN/"]IFK Helsinki[/a] thanks to a crucial [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/hockey/ifk-helsinki-Ige43GcN/kalpa-tMuMK6vi/?mid=CIBYFN5s"]4-1[/a] win on the road, the third 4-1 scoreline of the series and the third in three games this evening.[/b][/p][p]After neither side found the net in 60 minutes in game three, the goals were again hard to come by [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/kapanen-konsta/Yq9ApiFh/"]-Konsta Kapanen[/a] broke the deadlock for the reigning champions in the ninth minute, but it took until the final three minutes of period two for [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/saarelainen-joona/Mufnzbfi/"]Joona Saarelainen[/a] to add some breathing space.[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/klemetti-aleksi/GQGmniGs/"]Aleksi Klemetti[/a] added a third, five minutes into the third period, and though [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/kodytek-petr/4Cl81fgd/"]Petr Kodytek[/a] finally got HIFK on the board inside the final nine minutes, it was already looking like too little too late for the home side before [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/okany-andreas/6sI4NOC4/"]Andreas Okany[/a] slotted into the empty net to wrap up the win.[/p][embed guid="fec18c3c-bc34-4eb9-9e9a-3d355770ba48" url="https://x.com/KalPa_Hockey/status/2036511172699054478" social-type="twitter" /][p][b]KalPa will host HIFK and Assat welcome Kiekko-Espoo for their deciding matches on Thursday 26th March.[/b][/p][p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/hockey/finland/liiga/"]Follow the Liiga Playoffs on Flashscore.[/a][/b][/p]