Kärpät stops Tappara run

The top game of the weekend was definitely played in Oulu yesterday, where the two finalists of the past two seasons met again. Tappara was carrying a hot streak into the game, which made them the favourites. Not only did they win 9 out of their last 10 games, but they also outscored the opposition 15-2 over the last 3 games, including two shutouts. In those ten games only one team managed to score more than two goals against Tappara, which was Kärpät in a 6-5 win for Tampere.

So the stage was set for an interesting match-up. And Oulu had the better start. The youngster line stormed into Tappara's zone, Aho dropped the puck to Puljujärvi, who broke Karhunen's shutout with a wrist shot just 12 minutes into the game. With 126 seconds gone in the second period Ivan Huml found Saku Mäenalanen skating into the slot and - after beating defender Aleksi Elorinne with a nice stick move – he was free in front of Karhunen to double the score.

Stephen Dixon could bring Tappara back within one goal on a powerplay rebound midway through the second, but four minutes later Oulu re-established the old lead through a deflected shot from Antti Kalapudas.

In the following Iiro Tarkki managed to keep his goal clean for Oulu and so it was up to Juho Keränen to set the final score to 4-1 with an empty net goal.

Tappara stays in first place, but has to share it now with Lukko Rauma, who won the Western Finland derby 3-2 in Pori. Lukko scored early through Aaron Gagnon on a rebound, but had to see that lead sliding away before the 12 minute mark as Niko Ojamäki and Valtteri Viljanen answered for Pori. But Lukko wasn't done yet. Rony Ahonen and Toni Koivisto scored within 5 minutes in the second period to give the game another plot twist and secure the 3-2 win.

Kärpät is following the duo in third place trailing by only two points. HIFK, also 2 points behind, has a game against Lahti today and can take over the lead in the standings.

Further down in the standings KooKoo Kouvola keeps on proving that they belong in this league and even earned themselves a pre-playoff spot now with two victories on the weekend. On friday they defeated Vaasa at home with 4-3 in a game that went back and forth.

Mikko Lehtonen and Niclas Lukenius exchanged goals early in the first period before Josh Green could give Kouvola a 2-1 lead to head into the first intermission. That lead was gone 5 minutes after the break through goals from Tuomas Vänttinen and Charles Bertrand for Vaasa, but at the halftime mark Mario Koponen evened the game again for KooKoo. The audience had to be a bit more patient with the game winning goal. It only came with 2 minutes left on the clock. Jarkko Malinen saw lots of traffic in front of Vaasa goalie Mika Järvinen, so he waited for the perfect moment and came through with a backhand shot to give Kouvola another three points in the standings.

One day later they travelled to Tampere. The decision against Ilves came midway through the second period, shortly after Ilves' Markku Flinck had equalized Markus Västilä's early goal. Within 10 minutes Kookoo pulled away to a 4-1 thanks to Mikko Lehtonen, Tuomas Huhtanen and Mikko Alikoski. Ilves could not answer that. Only one more goal on the powerplay was possible for them. So KooKoo finished the weekend with a 6 point performance and will look to defend the spot against JYP on wednesday.

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