Match report Lukko-Pelicans

Lukko - Pelicans 4 - 0 (1-0, 1-0, 2-0) Stats Photo gallery

In the sixth match of the season Lukko welcome Pelicans from Lahti. Lukko won so far both home matches and tonight the third one was expected.

Lukko started furious. Pelicans was right away put under pressure, which resulted in a few good shots on and off the goal. Pelicans was given no time to build up their play because of the fore checking of Lukko. This worked well especially in the first half of the period. When Pelicans received their first penalty, Lukko scored its first goal. Ten seconds before the end of power play, Shayne Toporowski scored his first goal of the season. He beat goalie Antti Niemi in front of the net after a good pass from Antti Bruun. The other assist was for Markku Paukkunen.
After the first goal the pressure from Lukko fell back and Pelicans tried to get back in the game. But it was clear that Pelicans would not have much to say this evening. Even during the power play they were not able to produce any decent kind of play.

The second period had the same scenario as the first one. Lukko put pressure on Pelicans with good fore checking. When Pelicans tried to build up an attack it was Antti Bruun who intercepted the puck and played it Jamie Wright. Markku Tähtinen was already on his way towards the Pelicans defensive zone when he recieved the puck from Wright. He went alone towards Niemi and scored, 2 - 0. Match played. Pelicans had no power to frustrate Lukko.

In the third period some more goals were expected. Lukko controlled the game. Youngsters Lammassaari, Vainiola and Kauvosaari got some more time to get experience and prove themselves. Especially Lammassaari proved to be a talented player, although not blessed with so strong physics. When Lukko was playing shorthanded, Eepi Hämäläinen received a two minute penalty for interference, it was Markku Tähtinen who scored the first shorthanded goal of the season. He was sent away by Tuukka Mäkelä and brilliantly beat Niemi for the second time, 3 - 0. Two minutes after that it was Shayne Toporowski. He came through on the left and scored with a blistering shot, 4 - 0. It was a magnificient goal from the Man of the Match. The assists were from Ilkka Heikkinen and Miikka Tuomainen.

Scott Langkow had his first shutout of the season. Tonight he had 19 saves. Just like on Saturday against Tappara he played well and made some important saves for Lukko. At the end of the match he jumped on Esa Saksinen after he was "attacked" by him in a unfair way. A few Lukko players plus the referees had to liberate Saksinen from Langkow. Saksinen went of with a two minute penalty for interference.

Saturday the long trip to Oulu. Lukko is playing there at 17:00. Also the A-juniors are playing in Oulu. This match starts at 13:00. The first home match is next week Thursday at 18:30 against Ilves.