Liiga Playoffs: Pelicans cause upset on opening night with win at JYP

[p]Missing out on the quarter-finals on the final day of the regular season, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/jyp-jyvaskyla/YVjXBEzi/"]JYP[/a] came into this with just one win in four, but were expected to improve that recent run at home to a side who finished 21 points behind them.[/p][p]But [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/pelicans-lahti/nJrUIp93/"]Pelicans[/a] were a more than worthy challenge, [b]and took the lead in the final five minutes of the first period through an unlikely source - teenager [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/kolehmainen-eerik/6uKuDpH1/"]Eerik Kolehmainen[/a] scored his first goal of the season, on his first appearance in nearly a month.[/b][/p][p]Two players per side penalised for fighting late in the period changed the complexion of the game, and following another Pelicans penalty early in the second, [b]JYP equalised after five minutes through [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/jormakka-pekka/WOZIDI2O/"]Pekka Jormakka[/a].[/b][/p][p][b]The Lahti side continued to give away powerplays, but it didn't hold them back, instead they retook the lead three minutes later through [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/batna-oskars/OAIT0GmP/"]Oskars Batna[/a], and the real blow came with seven minutes of the period left, when [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/vaananen-miro/MFHH9jzp/"]Miro Vaananen[/a] scored shorthanded to increase the lead to two.[/b][/p][p]JYP poured on the pressure in the third period, but could not find a route back into the game, as Pelicans ran out [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/hockey/jyp-YVjXBEzi/pelicans-nJrUIp93/?mid=hA425yMH"]3-1[/a] winners, taking the away win they needed at the first attempt.[/p][embed guid="97d8c9e0-3624-40a9-9679-dc754534c791" url="https://x.com/smliiga/status/2035040373907521836" social-type="twitter" /][p][b]There were no such problems for the other two teams who fell short of a top four place on the final day - althouth fifth-placed [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/lukko-rauman/hdqQJQgc/"]Lukko[/a] had to work for their [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/hockey/hameenlinna-zV5a4drH/lukko-hdqQJQgc/?mid=6isFWDKG"]2-1[/a] win over [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/hameenlinna/zV5a4drH/"]Hameenlinna[/a].[/b][/p][p]When [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/saarela-antti/WCHKQksm/"]Antti Saarela[/a] broke the deadlock in the second minute, it looked like Lukko were going to cruise to victory, but the side who stumbled over the line to finish 12th had other ideas, as [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/paivarinta-sami/ATSwOrgO/"]Sami Paivarinta[/a] got HPK level again within a minute.[/p][p]The home side had the better of the shot count in the second period but it was not one-way traffic, and more importantly, neither side could find that crucial third goal.[/p][p]However, when it did arrive, four minutes into the final period, it was Saarela who was the hero again with his second strike for the Rauma side, handing them a 1-0 lead before they go Hameenlinna for game two.[/p][embed guid="c689a77b-e2fa-4945-87d6-b33b658eb239" url="https://x.com/smliiga/status/2035059926226153946" social-type="twitter" /][p][b]Reigning champions [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/kalpa-kuopio/tMuMK6vi/"]KalPa[/a] clearly have no qualms with going through the wildcard round in an attempt to defend their title, as they won [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/hockey/ifk-helsinki-Ige43GcN/kalpa-tMuMK6vi/?mid=KGhDChTp"]4-1[/a] at home to [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/ifk-helsinki/Ige43GcN/"]IFK Helsinki[/a], making light work of the six-game winning run the visitors took into the playoffs.[/b][/p][p]HIFK had no answer in the first 11 minutes to [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/klemetti-aleksi/GQGmniGs/"]Aleksi Klemetti[/a], who grabbed two goals to put the Kuopio side in a commanding position, but they soon found their feet, as [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/palmu-petrus/fi8PSdv6/"]Petrus Palmu[/a] pulled one back with over five minutes to play in the first period.[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/gallet-hugo/INKBTZ1B/"]Hugo Gallet[/a] was dismissed for the home side for an illegal check to the head, one of a handful of powerplay chances HIFK had to level the game, but not only did they fail, they were punished, as [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/lantta-jaakko/WApzRxEL/"]Jaakko Lantta[/a] scored a shorthanded goal late in the second to restore the two-goal cushion.[/p][p]And the opening match was settled six minutes into the third, when Klemetti added his third point by setting up [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/curry-patrick/dv80108m/"]Patrick Curry[/a] to complete the scoring.[/p][embed guid="728bac30-067a-4e75-9bb3-fb262d83f06d" url="https://x.com/smliiga/status/2035062306069971005" social-type="twitter" /][p][b]A five-game series between the teams finishing eighth and ninth is always likely to be close, and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/assat-pori/I9wm5xTA/"]Assat[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/kiekko-espoo/IVYOkYeB/"]Kiekko-Espoo[/a] seemed out to prove that in their opener, as the home side took a crucial overtime win, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/hockey/assat-I9wm5xTA/kiekko-espoo-IVYOkYeB/?mid=8f0RLd6b"]4-3[/a], to go ahead.[/b][/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/rask-joonas/nwsbILBr/"]Joonas Rask[/a] had cancelled out [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/talaja-roope/z7ZE7YlC/"]Roope Talaja[/a]'s opener by the eight-minute mark, before a pair of powerplay goals in the second period from [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/naukkarinen-janne/l2t1dTkd/"]Janne Hamelainen[/a] and then [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/kulonummi-kasper/tvgTsBLR/"]Kasper Kulonummi[/a] put KE 3-1 ahead.[/p][p]But the Aces fought back well in the final seven minutes, as [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/noiva-nestor/Aq9FOMlr/"]Nestor Noiva[/a] halved the deficit, before he found [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/tammela-jonne/6RBTRGgC/"]Jonne Tammela[/a] to tie it up with 02:03 remaining in regulation.[/p][p]It took nearly five minutes of overtime, but the Pori side completed a superb turnaround, with Noiva again the provider for [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/nilsson-oskar/fcXuwjQe/"]Oskar Nilsson[/a] to score and deny Kiekko a vital away win.[/p][embed guid="4148a2d5-e23d-4085-bb5d-59d33e467495" url="https://x.com/smliiga/status/2035074562069565891" social-type="twitter" /][p][b]Game two of all four wildcard round ties will be played tomorrow, Saturday 21st March.[/b][/p][p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/hockey/finland/liiga/"]Follow the Liiga playoffs on Flashscore.[/a][/b][/p]