Following Dusseldorf's 2–1 shootout victory in Turku on Thursday night, which secured first place for TPS in Group G and Dusseldorf a spot in the Round of 32, TPS defenceman Harri Tikkanen gave his opinions on the game and the current state of the team.

by Markku Silvennoinen

TURKU – After the heated affair in Germany between TPS Turku and Dusseldorfer EG on Saturday, the return match promised to be more of the same. However, the tension had broke and the crowd was served with a straightforward hockey game that went the distance. Dusseldorf came on top after being the first one to score in the shootout clinching their way to the next round with a 2–1 win. There was also victory within a loss for TPS as the point they achieved by going beyond regulation time was enough to seal the Finnish team’s first-place finish in Group G.

The teams were trading chances all through the game, but one of the contributing factors to the low scoreline was the awkward fact that the setting for the game wasn’t up to par.

“When there are two pro teams on the ice and you lose the puck just by skating straight, you know that the ice is pretty bad. It began to be comedic on the benches when watching to see who was finally going to settle the puck down and be able to control it,” said TPS defenceman Harri Tikkanen.

The game was an open and offence-first type of an affair, but entertaining as it was, the key wasn’t offensive brilliance but more about the collective mental lapses of two tired teams.

“You can always make excuses if you want to, but the fact is that it really wasn’t the kind of trip where your body recovers,” said Tikkanen about the teams trip to Central Europe on the previous week.

“We travelled for three days and played for two in really warm arenas. It was a hard trip physically, so we were still feeling it a bit. It naturally affected both teams because Dusseldorf also had to feel the strain of travelling, especially since they arrived here only yesterday,” he added.

The name of the game was the obvious set-up that TPS only needed a point to win the group and Dusseldorf a win to clinch a place on the next round. Both teams achieved their minimum objectives, but at least for Tikkanen, the feelings were mixed.

“The game was probably entertaining for the crowd, but of course we can’t be happy with the defeat or our performance. Still, we did win the group so we have to be happy and proud about that. It’s a sign of a damn good team. We had a hard group and were facing a good team out there as anyone could see,” pondered Tikkanen.

On paper, TPS has assembled a talented squad of players but on the ice, things are still lacking although results have been very good. Especially defending their own zone as a five-man unit isn’t still working as it should. TPS starts their domestic campaign on 12 September as they also prepare for CHL playoffs so their game needs to develop fast, if they aim to continue their winning ways.

Tikkanen remains positive despite the problems.

“If we can scrape points and especially wins despite playing poorly, I think that shows where we are as a team. Our game is definitely there, even though it is still a bit in hiding,” smiled Tikkanen.