CHL - Round of 16 - SaiPa Lappeenranta v Vaxjo Lakers

Preview
SaiPa take on Vaxjo in one of two Finland-Sweden pairings this round. One interesting thing about this match-up is neither team has been beaten in regulation time so far – SaiPa have won all six games, while Vaxjo have lost twice in extra time and had a draw against Red Bull Munich. These teams have never faced each other in the CHL before, and neither team has set the world on fire domestically – the Lakers sit 8th in the SHL while SaiPa linger 11th in the Liiga. Both teams are strong offensively – in fact, they rank 3rd and 5th in the CHL so far in goals scored. Defensively, SaiPa have been stronger, and if their CHL play is the sole thing to be taken into account, the Finnish club would be considered the favourites. Although they have yet to lose a game in the CHL, SaiPa start this series at home and Vaxjo get the last home game. Vaxjo have taken the maximum 9 points at home in the CHL but only 3 points from their away games, so they'll probably feel comfortable if they can head home with the aggregate score tied again. As for SaiPa, they've won wherever they've played.

Closer look: SaiPa Lappeenranta

(5-1-0-0, 14 points, 23:11)

In their return to the CHL this season, SaiPa were nearly perfect in the group stage, dropping only one point and finishing with 11 to win Group I easily. They got off to an excellent start with a pair of 4-2 road wins in Berlin and Lulea. Then they got off to a slow start in their home debut against Lulea and fell down a couple goals, but rallied to tie it in the third period and eventually won in a shootout, 3-2. They then sealed the group win by beating Eisbaren 6-3. Perhaps most impressive of all was their performance in the Round of 32, where they defeated reigning Liiga champions 6-2 on aggregate after winning both games by 2 goals. SaiPa have shown an impressive combination of solid defence and timely scoring in the CHL so far, and they will have to continue that if they want to advance past their first Swedish opponent in the next round.

Tero

Koskiranta

1+6, +3

 

Top Forward & CRAMO Top Scorer: Tero Koskiranta is a veteran forward who can play centre or right wing, and has played his entire career in Finland, save for a 13-game stint with Farjestad Karlstad in 2014-15. In his first season with SaiPa, he has shown himself to be a fine playmaker, co-leading the CHL with 6 assists and setting up Canadian linemate John McFarland on numerous occasions – McFarland leads the team with 5 CHL goals. Otherwise, the line of Tomi Leivo, Eetu Koski and Mikael Kuronen was re-united against Tappara and was brilliant. Domestically, they are led offensively by Matti Jarvinen and Curtis Hamilton, showing that, when healthy, this team is very deep up front.

Per

Savilahti-Nagander

3+1, even

 

Top Defenceman: Per Savilahti-Nagander is the anchor of SaiPa’s defensive game, and the right-shooting d-man is also important on the penalty kill. Savilahti-Nagander knows how to win in the CHL, as a member of Lulea Hockey in 2014-15 – in that victorious CHL season he contributed 5 points in 12 games. This season he already has 4 points in six CHL games. Savilahti-Nagander is loyal for his former and current teams, having played almost all of his career either with Lulea or SaiPa. He has played the most games by an import player in SaiPa history. The question is, will this loyal defenceman show his team the way to victory in the Champions Hockey League?

Jussi

Markkanen

94.17 %

 

Top Goaltender: Ever since arriving in Lappeenranta four years ago, veteran goaltender Jussi Markkanen has been the main man between the pipes for SaiPa. Frans Tuohimaa put up some impressive numbers in the group stage and seemed to be challenging for the starting job, but since he went down injured early in the Liiga season, 41-year-old Markkanen has re-established himself as the go-to guy. He was very strong in the second game against Tappara and the team will now turn to him against Vaxjo.

Closer look: Vaxjo Lakers

(3-0-3-0, 12 points, 21:14)

The Vaxjo Lakers finished first place in Group L, but disposing of Yunost Minsk and BK Mlada Boleslav was far from an easy task for them. While offence wasn't a problem, defence was at times against opponents from supposedly inferior leagues. They started by hosting Mlada Boleslav in a loosely played first period that was tied 3-3, before finding their game and eventually winning 7-3. Their next game in Minsk was a back-and-forth affair, with Yunost eventually winning 4-3 in overtime. Their road woes continued in Mlada Boleslav, where they allowed a late tying goal and lost in a shootout. They hosted Yunost in the last group game, with both teams already through but top spot in the group at stake – here the Lakers came through with their best start-to-finish effort of the season with a 4-0 win. They opened the Round of 32 with a 1-1 tie in Munich, then won the return game 4-3 at home. So far, they have taken the maximum points at home but failed to win any of their road games yet, and they will look to reverse that trend in the first leg in Lappeenranta.

Pontus

Netterberg

3+4, +4

 

Top Forward & CRAMO Top Scorer: Pontus Netterberg is new to the team and what a start it was for him with his new club. He scored 2 big goals in the last group game against Yunost, and although he was held pointless in the two games against Munich, his 7 points still ties him for the team scoring lead with Adam Brodecki. Heading into this season, the 24-year-old winger had only played five games of elite-level hockey, but the Lakers have high hopes for him this season. He is an offensive-minded player with a great shot that makes him a natural goal scorer and definitely a player to keep an eye on, although he has struggled in the SHL so far. Other new reinforcements to the team's attack are ex-KHLers Geoff Platt and Olli Palola and ex-NHLer Dennis Everberg, who has a point per game in the SHL.

Cory

Murphy

0+6, +2

 

Top Defenceman: Veteran Cory Murphy is now in his fourth season with the club and has been a solid piece on Vaxjo’s back end since he first joined. The 38-year-old Canadian played three years in the NHL, but has spent the majority of his professional career in Europe, where he has excelled. He is a defenceman with great vision and offensive instincts. That makes him capable of contributing on offence and he is a great threat from the blue line on the power play. He is tied for the CHL lead with 6 assists and has 4 assists in the SHL, although he has yet to score a goal this year in either competition.

Joacim

Eriksson

88.89 %

 

Top Goaltender: Joacim Eriksson and Viktor Andren have played three games each for Vaxjo during the CHL, and have split the playing time almost down the middle in the SHL as well. While 22-year-old Andren has had the better numbers, one has to think that Ericsson, former NHLer and Word Championship bronze medallist, has the inside track on being the team's starting goalie. Ericsson is only 26, but it seems as if he's been around for a while now. He backstopped Skelleftea AIK to the SHL title in 2013 before going overseas. Andren, meanwhile, is a Vaxjo product that has spent the past two seasons in the Allsvenskan. They both played against Munich and it wouldn't be a surprise to see them both against SaiPa as well. 

Game One

Brock Trotter opened the scoring with just 22 seconds on the clock in Finland, taking posession of the puck and skating into the zone before going high on Ericsson in the Lakers' net to make it 1-0. A good start for the hosts got better with 10:28 gone in the opening period, Trotter again going high past Ericsson though this time in the other corner.
“I think we played pretty well,” Trotter would later say about himself and linemates Curtis Hamilton, who assisted on both of his goals, and Matti Jarvinen, who assisted on one. “I had a couple of good players as my linemates today. We were creating lots of offence and managed well opportunities in the first period. During the game we created a couple more chances.”
A scoreless middle period meant the teams came out for the final period of the evening as they were at the end of 20 minutes. Vaxjo needed something, and duly got it at 41:26 as Linus Froburg was left too much room to slot home and make it 2-1. Just over 10 minutes later the Lakers drew level, Pontus Netterburg scoring at 53:50 to tie the match.
However, the final period scoring wasn't done there. SaiPa were not phased by giving up their two-goal lead and eventually going ahead again with Tomi Leivo poking the puck into the net after a goalmouth scramble at 55:44.
That goal was enough for SaiPa to hold on for the win, and take a one-goal lead with them to Sweden next week, but they won't be travelling alone. Some of the team's fans will be joining them on the same charter flight.
“Actually I’m hearing it first time,” Trotter reacted when told the news of the fans travelling with the team. “It should be fun. I’m looking forward to going to Sweden and playing a couple more games. This is my first time playing in the Champions Hockey League. So far it has been a pretty good experience.”
“I think we were pretty bad throughout the game and I don't like that SaiPa won pretty much every battle,” Vaxjo coach Sam Hallam assessed without mincing words. “We had a couple of good shifts here or there, and somehow we managed our way back (to even) but then we gave it away again ... but there's still 60 minutes left.”  
In the first leg of their Round of 16 series with the Vaxjo Lakers, SaiPa Lappenranta got off to a fast start on home ice with two goals in the first 10:28. Both goals were scored by Brock Trotter, a 29-year-old Canadian who just joined SaiPa a month ago, but it is his fourth season in Europe after previously playing in Latvia, Croatia and Sweden. He played two NHL games for the Montreal Canadiens in the 2009-10 season. In his first eight games with the Finnish club, which include seven in the Liiga and one in the CHL, Trotter had 3 goals and 3 assists. He showed great chemistry with linemates  Curtis Hamilton and Matti Jarvinen, despite playing only their second game together. The first goal came just 22 seconds in when Trotter took a pass from Jarvinen and skated into the attacking zone before going high, glove side on Vaxjo goalie Joacim Ericsson. Ten minutes later, it was Hamilton giving Trotter the feed in the slot, and again he went high on Ericsson, this time to the stick side. Eventually the Lakers came back to tie the score, but SaiPa won 3-2 thanks to a late goal from Tomi Leivo, meaning they'll take a one-goal lead into Vaxjo next Tuesday. 
Brock, what did you think about the game? 
“I think we played pretty well. I had a couple of good players as my linemates today. We were creating lots of offence and managed well opportunities in the first period. During the game we created a couple more chances. It was pretty tight game, looking forward to going to Sweden. Obviously Vaxjo are a good team, I need to give them credit. They really keep to their game plan. They scored a couple goals and came closer. They were hardworking goals.”
Speaking of your linemates, it seemed that the three of you had good chemistry out there.
“It was our second game together – we were put together in last game. I think we played creatively and had good scoring chances. They’re both great players. Hamilton is having a great season and so is Jarvinen. Playing with those guys makes easier for me and they create a lot of space for me also.”
This was only your second CHL game, but would you say it's any different than in the Liiga? 
“It’s tough to say what the difference is. Not every game is the same, either. I think it’s more about playing teams other than what you’re used to, because it’s always going to be little bit different in every game. Their systems are little bit different and so on. In the CHL there are two games close together, so you have to worried about your own system and play within your own system as a team.”
Next game in Sweden a bunch of SaiPa fans will be making the trip, travelling on the same charter flight as the team. What did you think when you heard that?
“Actually I’m hearing it for the first time. It should be fun. I’m looking forward to going to Sweden and I hope we get to play more games in the CHL after that. This is my first time playing in the league and so far it has been a pretty good experience.”  

Game Two

The second contest required overtime, but the Vaxjo Lakers were able to take the two-game series against SaiPa Lappeenranta by a score of 6-5 thanks to a 4-2 overtime victory. Heading into the game, SaiPa had a simple goal: win. With a one goal advantage heading into the final game of the Round of 16, they just needed to stay in charge to keep their lead and move into the round of eight.
It took just 7:55 in the first for SaiPa to score the first goal of the game. It was a goal that Victor Andren would want back as Tomi Leivo would rush into the zone and fire a weak shot from a tough angle, a shot that goaltenders typically have no issue with. Unfortunately for Andren, the puck bounced right off his glove and into the net behind him, giving SaiPa the 1-0 lead in the game and 4-2 lead overall.
Vaxjo was the much more dangerous team with the puck, but former Edmonton Oilers goaltender Jussi Markkanen was strong. They did, however, score on their 23rd shot of the game. At 21:04 in the game, Robert Rosen tipped in a shot from Philip Holm, beating Markkanen up high with the re-direction from the slot to make it 1-1 in the game. Vaxjo would tie the aggregate score up at two apiece after a loose scramble in front. Olli Palola would be the last player to touch the puck after it slid under Markkanen and on to the Vaxjo’s skater’s stick, making it 2-2. But SaiPa would bounce back shortly after. At 31:13, with the penalty to Dennis Everberg dying out, Tomi Leivo found himself on the breakaway and made a quick move to beat Andren, giving SaiPa the 5-4 lead overall.
Markkanen was simply tremendous for SaiPa when needed, and he had to be after eight minutes of play in the third complete. Rosen had a good chance after stealing the puck in coming in all alone, but Markkanen made two huge saves, including a big globe save on the goal line, to keep it a tied hockey game. But Rosen wouldn’t be stopped again. With under five minutes to go in the game, Rosen’s slap shot went through traffic and beat Markkanen for the 3-2 goal with time running out, the goal that tied the series overall. Despite Vaxjo taking the victory after 60 minutes, it didn’t matter overall. With both teams tied at five goals each after 120 minutes of play, the two teams would have to decide the winner in sudden-death overtime in hopes of taking the game. At 69:11, Erik Josefsson put an end to Markkanen’s great 49-save performance by scoring a breakaway goal in overtime, giving Vaxjo the come from behind victory after losing the opening contest.
“We played well, defended well, killed penalties,” said SaiPa head coach Riku Kallioniemi, “but we made a couple big mistakes.”