Young players emerged as decision makers as Pelicans swept away Ilves and made their way to the final of the ice hockey SM-liiga.
The Lahti hockey crowd got a sweet treat on Thursday night as Pelicans marched to the final of the SM-liiga. The regular season runners-up Pelicans beat Tampere Ilves 3-1 to seal their place in the final.
– I may not yet be able to grasp what has happened. I will remember this for the rest of my life, but there is still one more and even more wonderful step to take. That’s what’s next,” Jämsen said.
Pelicans dared to play boldly on Thursday, even though the stakes were very high.
– We knew the bet, but it didn’t help to get excited because our good puck game would have disappeared. We just had to continue what we had been doing all season, Jämsen continued.
The Pelicans supporters, who watched the events in a frenzy, brought additional power in difficult moments.
Ilves coach Pennanen: “Feeling empty and disappointed”
– Feeling quite empty and very disappointed. A big disappointment, there is plenty to digest and think about here for all of us lynx residents. We wanted and expected more, but we didn’t succeed.
– The opponent was more effective than us in special situations. They scored goals with superior power, while we didn’t succeed in our five-threes. Pelicans deservedly advanced to the finals, they have a good team and good coaching, Pennanen sent his praise to Tampere.
Ilves started the semi-final series as a big favorite. Pennanen admitted that the pressure started to show when the games did not go as expected.
– Expectations began to have an effect, although it is not always fully noticeable. The other side of the matter is that we played more excellent hockey than the one where we tensed up and froze, Pennanen estimates.
\”It’s a big disappointment and there’s a lot of work ahead to get Ilves where the club belongs,\” Pennanen said.