Supporters take over Hämeenlinna market square to celebrate ice hockey champions

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Faithful and delighted supporters of the HPK Hämeenlinna ice hockey team gathered in the city's market square on Sunday to celebrate the squad's first-ever Finnish championship.
      "There were several thousand of them. I don't dare to estimate the exact figure. I cannot recall ever having seen so many people at the market square", sergeant Ismo Hemilä of the Hämeenlinna Police commented.
      The arrival of the team sent the crowd wild.
      "It feels magnificent that so many people have turned out here", HPK captain Mikko Jokela said while holding firmly to the championship trophy , the Canada Trophy, along with the other players of the triumphant team.
      "Only now is this starting to sink in. It is insanely great, especially for the supporters. And ultimately it is for them that we're doing this", analyses HPK managing director Risto Korpela.
     
On Saturday, HPK took their first-ever Finnish ice hockey championship title by winning the fourth game in the best of five final series in Pori. HPK won the title in style by defeating Ässät of Pori 4-1 in the fourth game, thus winning the series 3-1. It was the first on-the-road victory of the finals.
      HPK played at the top of their game in the fourth final. It was a game of L's, at least in the light of the goal-scorers' surnames. The opener for HPK was scored by Janne Lahti, followed by Jukka-Pekka Laamanen (2-0), Jyrki Louhi (3-1), and Juha-Pekka Loikas (4-1).
      During the play-offs as a whole, HPK was "at home" in away fixtures. In the quarter finals the side defeated Ilves of Tampere in Tampere, and in the semi-finals HIFK of Helsinki shared Ilves's fate.
     
HPK's opponent in the finals, Ässät of Pori, have won the Finnish championship three times before. In the past ten years, however, they have only managed to produce mediocre results having not reached higher than 7th place in the final standings before Saturday.
      Even this year, Ässät just barely made it to the playoffs, after having completed the actual league season in only tenth spot, and having therefore had to go through the play-off elimination round.
      For all the more reason, the Ässät rise from rags to riches can justly be considered the bright spot of the entire play-offs. Their defeat of defending champions Kärpät of Oulu in the semis was the upset of the year.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  HPK need only one victory for ice hockey title (21.4.2006)

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