KHL
Jokerit - It was a case of job done for Jokerit who qualified for the Kontinental Hockey League playoffs for a second straight year. They beat Neftekhimik in overtime and despite losing 4-5 at home to Ak Bars, results elsewhere meant they finished eighth in the Western Conference and secured a play-off series with CSKA Moscow.
SM liiga
Pelicans – The team from Lahti had a mixed week with two defeats but were able to beat the league leaders. They blew a three goal lead and eventually lost in a shoot-out in their local derby game with HPK in Hameenlinna. Aleksi Rekonen, Vili Sopanen and Juhani Tyrvainen had spotted the visitors a 3-0 lead with just over 17 minutes left to play. But, remarkably HPK hit back with three goals in the space of 4:12 to tie the game up. Niklas Hagman netted twice either side of a Harri Kainulainen strike to take the game into overtime, but with no further goals in the extra session, the teams went into a shootout. Justin Hodgman who was recently back from injury missed his first effort, while leading scorer Vili Sopanen also failed to find the net too along with Iikka Kangasniemi. Teemu Turunen and Kainulainen also missed for HPK but Joonas Lehtivuori completed his team’s comeback when he was successful with his effort.
Two days later Pelicans were involved in another thrilling contest as they took on runaway leaders Tappara in Lahti. They lead twice during the game but required a shoot-out to make sure of the victory in the end. Juhani Tyrvainen gave the Pelicans a lead they would hold for the majority of the game after he found the net just 40 seconds into the contest. However, Tappara are not top of the standings for nothing, and they showed their quality when Jani Lajunen levelled the scores with twelve minutes left. The Tampere-based team would not be level for long though, when Mikko Kouse scored two minutes later to restore Pelicans’ lead, but Kristian Kiisela responded immediately for Tappara, tying the scores again, just 28 seconds after the home side had re-taken the lead. Despite a frantic finish to the game there were no further goals and so they headed for a shoot-out. Justin Hodgman missed Pelcians’ first attempt as did Vili Sopanen with their third, but Antti Tyrvainen was successful with his and with Valtteri Kemilainen, Teemu Nurmi and Sebastian Repo all failing to find the net for Tappara, it meant the points would stay in Lahti.
Pelicans ended the week with a miserable visit to the Northern city of Oulu after their hosts hit them with a 5-1 defeat. Brock Trotter opened the scoring for Karpat, but Pelicans were level ten minutes later thanks to Antti Tyrvainen. However, that was as good as it got for the visitors after Karpat hit four unanswered goals through Ville Leskinen, Jari Sailio, Mika Pyorala and Trotters second of the game.
Lukko – The Rauma-based side have been in fine form of late but they disappointingly lost twice last week. They had the lead three times against Jukurit in Mikkeli but on each occasion the home side came back to tie it up before finally settling matters 20 seconds into overtime. Toni Koivisto opened the scoring early on before Zach Budish grabbed Jukurit’s first equaliser. Peter Tiivola then gave Lukko the lead again at the half way mark only for Henrik Koivisto to level early into the final session. Former NHL player Keaton Ellerby then thought he had won it for his team, only for Joonas Kalliola to level again 52 seconds later. Miika Koivisto netted the winner in the extra session.
On Saturday Lukko took on Assat but it was the visitors who quickly took a 2-0 lead in the second period thanks to Antti Kerala and Juho Tommila. Valentin Claireaux pulled one back for Lukko before the period was over but Jarno Karki and Valtteri Viljanen increased the visitors lead to take the spoils in the West Coast derby.
SaiPa - SaiPa found themselves four goals down by the 21st minute against Karpat, with the visiting team from Oulu taking the lead after just 31 seconds through Niklas Olausson. Karpat doubled that lead when Ville Leskinen netted at 4:17 and two minutes later it was three when John Albert also found the net. Leskinen made it four early in the second period before Brock Trotter pulled on back for the home side. Mikko Lehtonen restored Karpat’s four goal lead with just over 12 minutes to go, and despite Tero Koskiranta’s double for SaiPa, there would be no dramatic comeback.
Tomi Leivo scored the only goal against Sport Vaasa at 14:57 to settle the game in Lappeenranta. SaiPa came from behind against Jukurit on Saturday to win in overtime. Miika Roine had opened the scoring for the Mikkeli-based side, but Kim Stromberg had the sides back on level terms three minutes later. It was then left to Lasse Lappalainen to hit the winner.
JYP - The Jyvaskyla side took the lead against Assat with less than 15 minutes to go in Pori, through Juha-Pekka Hytonen, but five minutes later the hosts pulled level thanks to Niko Ojamaki. Juho Tommila then hit the overtime winner at 61:24.
JYP bounced back the following night when they all but ended KalPa’s stuttering title hopes. Jerry Turkulainen, Anssi Lofman and Arttu Likola had given the home side a commanding 3-0 lead before Jesse Mankinen had got the visitors on the score board. Juuso Vainio and Ossi Louhivaara then extended JYP’s lead to compound KalPa’s misery.
Tappara – Leaders Tappara all but claimed the league title after seeing off main rivals KalPa with a crucial 4-3 win. The visitors from Kuopio were not going without a fight though and even held 1-0 and 3-2 leads during the course of the game. Alexander Ruuttu opened the scoring at 2:58 but Tappara responded with Jukka Peltola and Teemu Nurmi to give the home side a 2-1 lead. Back came KalPa with strikes from Joonas Lyytinen and Jesse Mankinen but Nurmi got his second of the night to tie the game and then Sebastien Repo scored what proved the be the game winner and possibly the league winner at 39:35.
Tappara won their latest Tampere derby against Ilves on Saturday after once again coming from behind. The designated home side have made a speciality out of thrilling come-back wins this season, with their best coming against their cross-city rivals who share the Arena with them. Juho Liuksiala and Teemu Rautiainen had gifted Ilves a 2-0 lead before the end of the first period, but Jani Lajunen and Henrik Haapala scored ten minutes apart in the third period to force overtime. Once the teams headed ito the extra session there really was only going to be one winner and Veli-Matti Savinainen struck the winning shot at 61:10.
TPS - Raced into a three goal lead against HIFK, thanks to Curtis Hamilton, Henrik Tallinder and Otto Nieminen, but the side from the capital city pulled goals back through Mika Partanen and Juhamatti Aaltonen before the end of the second period to bring themselves back into the game. Eric Perrin restored the Turku side’s two goal advantage early in the third period which all but clinched the win. However, with the extra attacker Juuso Puustinen pulled another one back for HIFK with 12 seconds left, but straight from the ensuing face-off Tallinder grabbed his second of the night to make the game safe.
A double strike from Niklas Hagman in the opening period proved to be the difference against title chasing TPS. The Turku side did pull one back at 35:09 through Jasper Lindsten but it wasn’t enough to turn the score line around.
HIFK - Ilves came away from their visit to Helsinki with a much needed win, having struggled of late. They were thankful to Teemu Rautiainen, Jarkko Rarikka and Otto Koivula, who got two goals, to secure their victory. Juhamatti Aaltonen had drawn the home side onto level terms but that lasted for just ten minutes, before Ilves found the net again.
Roope Hintz scored the only goal of the game at 3:37 in Vaasa to give the Helsinki-based side a much needed win.
KooKoo - Boosted their chances of avoiding finishing last in the standings after recording a much needed 4-2 win over Sport. Panu Mieho and Juha-Pekka Haataja twice gave the home side the lead only for Aleksi Laakso and Matti Lamberg to level both times for the team from Vaasa. However, KooKoo stepped it up after that with Oscar Eklund and Niko Tuhkanen both scoring in the final period to secure the win.
The team from Kouvola took the lead for most of the game against Karpat but they had to fight right until the end of the contest before they were guaranteed the victory. Anrei Hakulinen gave the home side the lead only for Antti Kalapudas to level before the end for the first period. Juha-Pekka Haataja then scored twice to give KooKoo a two goal lead. Karpat were not going to give up though and pulled one back through Mikko Lehtonen, and even though the home side took s a two goal lead into the second intermission when Hakulinen netted his second of the night, Brock Trotter cut the lead again with just over four minutes remaining to set up a tense finale.
KalPa – Arttu Ilomaki scored the only goal of the game against Jukurit on Friday at 24:22 to keep KalPa’s fading title hopes alive.
HPK - The Hameenlinna-based side were well beaten when they made the short journey North to Tampere to take on Ilves. Goals from Markku Flinck, Marcus Fagerudd, Michael Keranen and Aleksi Mustonen sealed the win for the home side.
Tuesday, February 14
HIFK v Ilves 1-4
HPK v Pelicans 4-3
Jukurit v Lukko 4-3
KooKoo v Sport 4-2
SaiPa v Karpat 3-5
Tappara v KalPa 4-3
Thursday, February 16
Ilves v HPK 4-0
KooKoo v Karpat 4-3
Pelicans v Tappara 3-2
SaiPa v Sport 1-0
Friday, February 17
KalPa v Jukurit 1-0
TPS v HIFK 5-3
Assat v JYP 2-1
Saturday, February 18
HPK v TPS 2-1
Jukurit v SaiPa 1-2
JYP v KalPa 5-1
Karpat v Pelicans 5-1
Sport v HIFK 0-1
Tappara v Ilves 3-2
Lukko v Assat 1-4
Mestis
Wednesday, February 15
LeKi v SaPKo 3-5
Hermes v K-Vantaa 1-3
Espoo United v KeuPa HT 4-3
TUTO v Peliitat 4-2
Friday, February 17
Espoo United v Hokki 1-3
JYP Akatemia v KeuPa HT 3-4
Peliitat v RoKi 3-4
IPK v Jokipojat 2-1
Saturday, February 18
TUTO v Hokki 4-2
Hermes v Leki 5-2
KeuPa HT v Espoo United 1-2
Jokipojat v Roki 0-1
K-Vantaa v JYP Akatemia 3-1
SaPKo v IPK 4-2
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