Liiga Playoffs: Assat and KalPa tie up quarter-finals with dominant final periods

[p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/kalpa-kuopio/tMuMK6vi/"]KalPa[/a] scored a much-needed victory on the road last time out to avoid going 3-0 down in their series, and they didn't let those efforts go to waste, [b]winning [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/hockey/ilves-Oh5uGzDT/kalpa-tMuMK6vi/?mid=OvKQuh0J"]5-3[/a] back on home ice to draw level with [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/ilves-tampere/Oh5uGzDT/"]Ilves[/a][/b], in a match that had eight goals but only three different goal scorers.[/p][p]Penalties and powerplays that weren't utilised was the order of the day in a scoreless first period, and it took until the 14th minute of the second for either net to bulge - [b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/soderlund-tim/zw8YUIgs/"]Tim Soderlund[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/borchardt-cade/0GYmNnPb/"]Cade Borchardt[/a] combined on a counter-attack for the latter to give KalPa the lead.[/b][/p][p]Soon after, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/nyberg-john/4YamAHJq/"]John Nyberg[/a] was called for high sticking, and this time the hosts made use of the powerplay, with Borchardt given time to pick his spot and score his second. Yet, with a minute left in the period, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/looke-jens/vPV6ILAs/"]Jens Looke[/a] pulled one back for Ilves after good work from [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/utunen-toni/CdEO0G0l/"]Toni Utunen[/a].[/p][p]That goal failed to phase the Kuopio side, f[b]or whom Borchardt completed his hat-trick two minutes into the third by winning possession in Ilves' zone, and then added his and KalPa's fourth with 10 minutes to play, delicately sending a penalty past the helpless [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/armalis-mantas/hfrrcLY3/"]Mantas Armalis[/a].[/b][/p][p]Borchardt then let someone else have a go a matter of seconds later, as [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/kapanen-konsta/Yq9ApiFh/"]Konsta Kapanen[/a] put the result beyond doubt, but there was still time for the Lynx to put some gloss on their performance, [b]as Looke scored another two in quick succession to complete a hat-trick of his own.[/b][/p][p]Game five of the series, which is now certain to go on for at least six encounters, will be played in Tampere on Wednesday 8th April.[/p][embed guid="70e107c0-92a1-4c20-868f-8b9248653e17" url="https://x.com/smliiga/status/2041209977230995782" social-type="twitter" /][p][b]A clear defeat in game three had seen [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/assat-pori/I9wm5xTA/"]Assat[/a] go behind in their series for the first time, but they successfully halted the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/saipa/Q9sYH4O9/"]SaiPa[/a] momentum with three goals in the last 20 minutes at home to win game four, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/hockey/assat-I9wm5xTA/saipa-Q9sYH4O9/?mid=xORcRD2N"]4-2[/a].[/b][/p][p]It looked to be more of the same for the visitors with just over a minute played, when [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/kramer-brian/8GEHAPxJ/"]Brian Kramer[/a]'s effort from the blue line was deflected in by [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/siikanen-patrik/WSqBQ3gC/"]Patrik Siikanen[/a], but the Pori side hit back in the 13th minute when [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/tiivola-peter/0U8eTa5q/"]Peter Tiivola[/a] capitalised on SaiPa hesitancy and raced away to equalise.[/p][p]The second seeds showed their mettle late in the period, retaking the lead when [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/heikkila-juuso/Cn5C3L94/"]Juuso Heikkila[/a] collected the puck on a counter-attack and drilled a quick shot beyond [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/bednar-jan/vsDEgCHI/"]Jan Bednar[/a] to give the away side a 2-1 lead which they held throughout the second period.[/p][p]However, the final 20 minutes belonged to Assat, who drew level again in the first minute, again punishing poor SaiPa play in the middle. [b]This time it was [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/kostilainen-sakari/2NsMbwkE/"]Sakari Kostilainen[/a] who stole the puck and battled past the last defender before coolly deking the goaltender and finding the net[/b].[/p][p]The hosts then had the sold-out arena on its feet with just over 10 minutes to play, [b]when [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/knihti-feetu/v5GT48FS/"]Feetu Knihti[/a] picked up a puck dumped behind the net and sent it back for [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/alasiurua-arttu/xpxZKuTC/"]Arttu Alasiurua[/a] to finish in front.[/b][/p][p]Assat then sealed the win and levelled the series five minutes from time, [b]with Knihti again providing from behind the net, this time for [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/talaja-roope/z7ZE7YlC/"]Roope Talaja[/a] to complete the scoring[/b]. These two will also meet for game five on 8th April, with SaiPa hosting in Lappeenranta.[/p][embed guid="b3516448-5f2e-419d-9c1a-e0027aa76a6f" url="https://x.com/smliiga/status/2041182652728778760" social-type="twitter" /][p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/hockey/finland/liiga/"]Follow the Liiga playoffs on Flashscore.[/a][/b][/p]