HIFK-TPS 23.01.1997
TPS preparing for the Euro-League final-four this week-end, showed far greater standard in its play despite that their performance was on the low end of their scale.
HIFK showed fighting spirit and had a lot of the play in the 1st. It was a similar start to that of the recent Jokerit game. Two easy goals for TPS killed that effort and at times HIFK looked like zombies.
Defence or lack of it is the reason for the ongoing problems. #2 Puolanne and #6 Rajala do not replace Karalahti and Kultanen. Pairing #23 Lehtonen and #34 Ahola together is, as I´ve often said, unexplicable. They both represent immobile attacking defenders forced to play backwards and the result is visible in the GA column.
The game ended with a TPS empty netter and the crowd demonstrating its disliking by negative whistling.
Stars of the game:
*** none
** Laukkanen
* Hurme