Lahti Pelicans strongly believe they can beat champions Tappara in the final. The first meeting between the teams will take place on Wednesday at Tampere Arena.
In the Pelicans camp, we have believed in the possibility of success all along, says Niemelä.
– This is the perfect situation for us to come into the games as underdogs and challenge the big Tappara.
Head coach Niemelä says he has a lot of respect for the reigning Finnish and European Hockey League (CHL) champions Tappara.
– We believe in our own thing and boldly go towards something we have never been before. Sometimes you can even achieve things from there that no one would have thought we would achieve.
The team has welded together well, says Niemelä.
– The players have learned and started to believe in their own thing and the way we operate. From there, the positive snowball has slowly started to grow forward.
– More good players are coming from there and our operating model on that side is very good. There, the individual is helped to develop and the training conditions and coaching are also top notch.
– This season ends on the 2nd of May at the latest, but we are already selling hard for the next season.