Smiles are scarce as Tom Strömsten and the rest of the team congratulate the opponent.
Appearing in both Salibandyliiga and EuroFloorball Cup final games and winning the Finnish Cup means Erä did its best season ever.
It ended bitterly, though, as Erä saw the Finnish Championship title slip away with the slightest margin possible. Game 5 in a best-of-five series, an overtime and a penalty shootout were needed to see whether Erä or SSV would be the strongest.
Erä wasn’t.
Tommi Aro opened scoring in the shootout but Juho Järvinen and Kari-Matti Ratsula put SSV ahead. After Markus Bollström’s shot hit the post and bounced out alongside the goalline, Markus Huhtimo had to score. ”Mahu” decided to pull an ambitious ”Zorro” but this time his patent trick did not succeed.
The decisive game pulled a crowd of 3,047 out of whom about 3,000 gave their support to Erä. Heart-warming, tot put it modestly, even in a moment of defeat.
It’s time for Salibandyliiga final series against SSV. Starting at 1830 hrs on Vantaan Energia Areena on Thursday.
Against mighty SSV. European Champions, Finnish Champions with three straight Finnish titles and 24 straight play ff wins. But hey, who wants to play a bad opponent anyway.
Erä’s ready. Battle-hardened by the two play off series against Nokian KrP and SPV that were tighter than the numbers would let out. Hungrier than last year, when reaching the finals for the first time tasted a bit too sweet, after all. With a long season’s worth more tight games, big wins to boost your self-confidence, a couple of of bitter losses to helå maintain focus.
Erä’s ready.
Now it’s time to put useless thoughts and worries aside, concentrate on the mission and enjoy the best times of a player’s life. These are the games that a player will tell his grandchildren about one day.
Looking forward to a hell of a series.
While Sittler’s line has been shut down by Jarvis, except on the power play, the Leafs’ checking line has done the same to Lemaire, Lafleur, and Shutt, giving the Leafs enormous confidence. For it was here that they worried they would be badly outmatched. But now that each shift that passes that shows they aren’t, an excited feeling builds and spreads among their players – they now think they can play with us. The quality of the game improves, and the Leafs begin to take over. Suddenly, Napier intercepts a clearing pass and scores. Thirty seconds later, his linemate Hughes does the same. The effect is crushing. – - – They have stopped the Lemaire line, they have made our defense look ordinary. But within thirty seconds, two players they didn’t know would play have put them out of the game. At this moment, the Leafs players, those on the bench and those on the ice, are saying to themselves, ”There’s no way we can ever beat this team”.
- Ken Dryden: The Game
I know, Erä is no Montreal Canadiens, Nokian KrP is no Toronto Maple Leafs and this is no NHL in the 70’s.
But some patterns never change in sports. There are good teams and there are underdogs who suddenly stand up and shake the good teams but get beaten in the end because the good teams have the bredth and the routine.
With two games in the quarter-finals, Erä now has two wins against Nokia. One in penalty shootout, one in overtime. Talk about thrillers. Game three at 1830 on Friday in Mosahalli.
The Canadiens went on to win the Stanley Cup that year.
We don’t know where Erä or Nokia will end up this year. Because the series is still undecided. In Tapanila, they hope that the analogy holds.
Enjoying Mikko Pasanen's overtime goal
Finishing first in the regular season means nothing in itself. (It does, actually. The chance to choose your quarter-final opponent and some money, too.)
Still, it’s not time for celebration yet. The big games are just ahead.
But it is another bucket of self-confidence. Especially, when you’ve ended the regular season by beating reigning champions SSV again. Again in overtime.
A moment Mikko Pasanen will not forget. Scoring your first goal in the league. In overtime. Against the champions.
Mikko Hyvärinen has got a hundred pics.
Everybody looks like they knew he would score on the penalty shot
Against Oilers, Erä saw a comfortable 4-1 lead melt away. Five minutes into the third period, the home team scored twice within six seconds to make it 6-5.
Bad.
But that’s when big players stand up.
With five minutes left, Erä got a penalty shot and Jani Helenius walked out to take it. And put in on the top corner behind Niko Nordström.
Fourty seconds into overtime, Pasi Laitila brought the ball over the line and passed to center to Jani Helenius. Yep, top corner again, and two important points.
Erä now leads the league by two points and has a superior goal difference. Classic Tampere is still a threat for the regular season but they have to take at least three points of four possible in their remaining two games. Counting that Erä would not beat SSV next Friday.
SSV, next Friday.
MOSAN OMAT is
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