Ilves chase second straight shutout in Pori

Ilves opened their Liiga campaign in Rauma on Tuesday, winning 2–0 as Austin Strand and Tony Sundin scored late in the third period. Aleks Haatanen set up the go-ahead goal by freeing Strand in front of the net, and Sundin finished off a power-play wrist shot past Daniel Salonen. Goaltender Mantas Armalis made 27 saves. Several were high-quality stops that secured the clean sheet.

Ässät lost their opener 3–1 in Oulu, with defenseman Aleksi Anttalainen netting their lone goal. Last season the teams split their four regular-season meetings, though Ässät edged the points 7–5 overall. Luke Henman led Ilves in those contests with four assists, while Valtteri Lipiäinen posted 2+1 and Peter Tiivola had three points.

Ässät have reshaped their staff and roster over the summer. Hannes Hyvönen left for TPS U20 and goaltending coach Jaakko Rosendahl left the sport, with former Ilves assistant Kari Kalto and goaltending coach Jussi Härkönen stepping in. On defence, notable departures include Oskar Nilsson, Valtteri Viljanen and Kasper Puutio. Arrivals include Casimir Jürgens, Petteri Nikkilä and short-term signing Juuso Pullin. The attack was overhauled as well, with several players out and new forwards signed, including Carl Klingberg and Kasper Björkqvist on short-term deals.

The game starts at 19:00 at Enersense Areena. ILVES+ begins pregame coverage at 18:00 with locker-room updates and interviews, and MTV Urheilu’s live broadcast starts at 18:15.