Three out of four semi-final teams are now there as Classic, TPS and Oilers all eliminate their opponents in five games. In the fourth quarter-final pair, Happee has 3-2 against Nokian KrP with the fourth game tonight in Jyväskylä.
In the deciding games, Classic beat LASB 4-3, TPS scored a last-minute goal for a 4-3 win against SPV.
The most dramatic moments this far were seen in the Game 5 between Oilers and their Espoo rivals Westend Indians. Indians had a 6-3 lead with just eight minutes left to play just to see Oilers score no less than three (!) short-handed goals to tie it up. Markus Markkola’s 6-6 came with just seven seconds left after Oilers had won the ball at the midline to then open the Indians defence with two diagonal passes. In the overtime, Santeri Lindfors topped Oilers’ superb special teams performance as he rushed from the penalty box to wrestle the ball from an Indians defender and score a breakaway winner.
Archive photo by Juhani Järvenpää
