TPS from Turku are F-liiga champions for the first time in club history after beating Nokian KrP 3-2 in the seventh final game of the series. TPS’ hero of the night was Mikko Hautaniemi who scored the overtime winner at 70.22. Game seven drew no less than 5,107 spectators at Hakametsä Ice Hall in Tampere.
Having come back from 1-3 in the series, TPS took a 2-0 lead in the decisive game after goals by Olli Laine and Janne Nurminen. In the third period, Mikko Laakso scored KrP’s opener just 14 seconds into the period and with eight minutes to go, Joonatan Kovanen tied it up with a shot from the distance.
In the overtime, the audience witnessed ten minutes of overly careful play until TPS opened KrP’s defence with a series of passes, Olli Laine passed the ball from the left to the crease and Mikko Hautaniemi touched it past KrP goalie Miro Tuomala. Quite a career finish for Hautaniemi who had already announced his retirement after this season.
TPS Turku left no doubt about the floorball capital of Finland as they had already secured the F-liiga women’s title of the season. The female champions were naturally there at tonight’s game cheering for their club.
