SSV Helsinki took their 10th Finnish Championship gold and 4th victory in a row after a thrilling 5th final settled only after penalty shots. The final score was 5-4 to SSV. A full house of 3 047 spectators were watching the decisive match in the Energy Arena.
The tempo was low in the first period of the 5th final, but after SSV´s first goal scored by Kimmo Kinnunen (pictured) in the second period the intensity of the game changed.
Markus Bollström, who made sure that Erä could even the Final series to 2-2 on Friday, continued to perform well in the decisive match. Bollström together with SSV´s Kimmo Kinnunen were the players of the second period both scoring two goals and the score was 2-2 after 40 minutes.
Bollström scored his third and a hat trick with a nice long distance shot and Erä was leading with 45 minutes played. Then Erä´s mistake in the defensive zone led to a penalty shot and Harri Forsten evened the score to 3-3.
Kinnunen´s, this time Jukka Kinnunen´s goal in 50.49 seemed to become the winning goal for SSV, but in 56.54 Lauri Kapanen evened the score to 4-4 and it was time for over time. During the over time SSV got a power play opportunity but the score remained 4-4.
The game was to be settled on penalty shots where SSV was slightly stronger. Juho Järvinen and Kari-Matti Ratsula were able to pass Jani Naumanen in the Erä goal whereas only Tommi Aro succeeded for Erä and the reigning National and EFC champion SSV took yet another trophy.
SSV´s Santtu Manner was glad that his team had more luck in the Penalty shoot out competition:
– Really small marginals. A fifth final, which is decided with penalty shots is always nervy. It is like Lotto and this time the luck was not on Erä´s side, Manner said in Hufvudstadsbladet´s interview.
