Liiga Playoffs: HPK and KooKoo draw level in quarter-finals with special wins

[p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/hameenlinna/zV5a4drH/"]Hameenlinna[/a] had really made [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/tappara/llrWVOwG/"]Tappara[/a] work for their 2-1 win in game one, and if there was any remaining doubt that the lowest seeds wouldn't provide a worthy test for the regular season title winners, it was quashed in the first 40 minutes tonight.[/p][p]The opening powerplay of the game had almost expired when HPK finally punished [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/addamo-justin/McdgnKKB/"]Justin Addamo[/a]'s hooking violation, [b]only for neat interplay between [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/nikkila-petteri/xAUN90og/"]Petteri Nikkila[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/wright-cameron/UutRvV8E/"]Cameron Wright[/a] to set up [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/paivarinta-sami/ATSwOrgO/"]Sami Paivarinta[/a] to fire home the go-ahead goal in the eighth minute.[/b][/p][p]And the home side were in no mood to sit back and defend -[b] just over a minute into period two, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/eronen-elmeri/6c6AJgMC/"]Elmeri Eronen[/a] found [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/korhonen-olli/rwnUZ9qd/"]Olli Korhonen[/a], and when he beat [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/heljanko-christian/46cyipOI/"]Christian Heljanko[/a], the upset was well and truly on.[/b] The HPK defence was tested at times, but they led the shot count after two periods and deserved their lead.[/p][p]The Battle Axe kept plugging away, and were rewarded eight minutes into the third period, [b]when a controlled attack resulted in Addamo finding [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/mattila-jesper/0U8LTxPa/"]Jesper Mattila[/a] right in front, and he kept his cool to slot the puck past [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/saarinen-kim/2amHkBnq/"]Kim Saarinen[/a].[/b][/p][p]That was one of 12 shots on goal Tappara had in the final 20 minutes, but HPK held out over a nervy final 12 minutes to hold on for a [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/hockey/hameenlinna-zV5a4drH/tappara-llrWVOwG/?mid=I1B075Er"]2-1[/a] win and level the series.[/p][embed guid="0a9aff17-b29a-45bd-b6f6-6db5d9e4fc65" url="https://x.com/Pallokerho/status/2038646157732110635" social-type="twitter" /][p]After a 3-0 series sweep against [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/jyp-jyvaskyla/YVjXBEzi/"]JYP[/a] in the wildcard round and a 1-0 overtime success in game one, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/pelicans-lahti/nJrUIp93/"]Pelicans[/a] have finally been beaten in the playoffs, and resoundingly so, [b]going down [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/hockey/kookoo-ljjApDE3/pelicans-nJrUIp93/?mid=WSucbSyS"]5-0[/a] at home to [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/kookoo/ljjApDE3/"]KooKoo[/a].[/b][/p][p]A poor start by the home side saw them cough up possession behind their own net, [b]allowing [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/gallo-vilmos/phBwxZfB/"]Vilmos Gallo[/a] to tee up [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/oden-joonas/UHjfprPI/"]Joonas Oden[/a] to score after one minute and six seconds.[/b] Neither side were able to make use of powerplays later in the opening period, before KooKoo doubled their lead.[/p][p][b]Coincidentally, the second goal came one minute and six seconds into period two, but this time the roles were reversed, as Oden set up Gallo to make it 2-0.[/b] Things got worse for the Lahti side when [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/lind-onni/z7U2UcUP/"]Onni Lind[/a]'s trip was punished on the resulting powerplay by [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/davidsson-marcus/AJtjdlPL/"]Marcus Davidsson[/a] midway through the game.[/p][p]There was time for Davidsson to score his second and the visitors' fourth before the period was up, [b]as Oden added his third point by laying the puck back for Davidsson to beat the goaltender at the near post with a fierce strike.[/b][/p][p]Pelicans somewhat made a fist of it in the final 20 minutes, taking half of their 20 total shots on goal, but [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/randelin-eetu/INE1Fm4j/"]Eetu Randelin[/a] was unbeatable as he earned a shutout, with the scoring completed three minutes from time by [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/miettinen-veeti/YuStjev4/"]Veeti Miettinen[/a].[/p][embed guid="f276f203-6238-4ec5-8076-f98da794100b" url="https://x.com/smliiga/status/2038664106618544439" social-type="twitter" /][p]Both of these quarter-final series move back to Kouvola and Tampere, respectively, for their game three encounters on Thursday 2nd April.[/p][p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/hockey/finland/liiga/"]Follow the Liiga playoffs on Flashscore.[/a][/b][/p]