SaiPa wins again in the Pitsiturnaus

Hosted at Kivikylän Areena, the preseason tournament brought together six teams: home side Lukko, SaiPa, TPS, Sport, Ässät, and second-tier Mestis club Jokerit. After a day of fast-paced action, SaiPa emerged victorious, winning the tournament for the second consecutive year.

SaiPa Clinches Third Title in Club History

The final between SaiPa and Lukko proved to be a tightly contested affair. Lukko took an early lead thanks to Steven Jandric’s power-play goal in the opening period. SaiPa had a golden opportunity to equalize on a penalty shot in the second frame, but Lukko goaltender Daniel Salonen denied Otto Kivenmäki. Persistence paid off for SaiPa late in regulation, when Antti Kalapudas netted a power-play equalizer just over three minutes before the buzzer.

The match was ultimately decided in a shootout, where Kalapudas struck again—this time as the only successful scorer. With the 2–1 win, SaiPa lifted the Pitsiturnaus trophy for the third time in its history, maintaining a perfect record in tournament finals.

Path to the Final: Strong Special Teams and Goaltending

SaiPa’s route to the final showcased disciplined team play and effective power-play execution. In the semifinal, they edged Ässät 2–1, capitalizing on both of their power-play chances. Teemu Kivihalme and Henri Nikkanen provided the goals, while the lone Ässät strike came in the dying seconds of the game.

Earlier in the group stage, SaiPa had also shut out TPS 2–0, with Kivihalme again scoring on the man advantage. The tournament began with a narrow 1–0 win over Sport, sealed by Miro Tauslahti’s lone goal and a clean sheet from Kari Piiroinen.

Lukko Impresses Before Final Setback

Lukko looked dominant on their way to the final, opening the tournament with a 2–1 win over local rivals Ässät. They followed up with a 1–0 victory against Jokerit, with Alex Peters scoring on the power play and Salonen posting a shutout. In the semifinal, Lukko crushed TPS 5–1, getting goals from five different players and a standout 1+2 performance from Antoine Morand.

Jokerit Take Fifth, Sport Leave Empty-Handed

In the placement game for fifth place, Jokerit edged Sport 3–2 thanks to a hat-trick from Samuel Salonen, who starred for the Helsinki-based side. Rasmus Toivainen and Sebastian Stålberg replied for Sport, who finished the tournament winless.

Earlier group stage matches saw Jokerit and Ässät draw 1–1 before the Jokers won the post-game shootout. TPS defeated Sport 2–0 to advance, with goals from Niklas Ylitalo and Tim Söderlund.

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