Ilves seek third straight win at Nokia Arena against Pelicans Wednesday

A win at Nokia Arena would keep Ilves in the hunt for the Liiga lead as the team returned from a one-and-a-half-week international break to host Pelicans on Wednesday.

Ilves went into the break on a two-game winning streak and met Pelicans for the first time this season. They closed October with a 1–0 Halloween win over KalPa, when Ondřej Kos scored and goaltender Mantas Armalis recorded his sixth shutout with 22 saves. Pelicans, meanwhile, ended the break on the back of two straight defeats, most recently a 3–0 loss at Kiekko-Espoo.

Key storylines included forward Luke Henman, who led the team with 11 goals and 11 assists for 22 points and was second in the Liiga scoring race, as well as goaltender Mantas Armalis, who had been perfect against Pelicans at Nokia Arena in two 3–0 wins last season when he made 37 saves.

On Wednesday, Ilves made sure the third straight win became a reality, defeating Pelicans 4–1 at Nokia Arena. Pelicans’ Markus Nutivaara opened the scoring at 3:54 before Otto Latvala levelled for Ilves at 25:21. Henman restored the lead at 35:49, and Dominik Lakatoš made it 4–1 with a power-play goal at 38:21. Ilves also saw Armalis make history by scoring an empty-net goal, becoming the first Ilves goalie to find the net in a game.

Armalis finished with 26 saves. Pelicans’ Jussi Olkinuora made 19 stops, and attendance at the match was 5,300.

Gates and the arena foyer program open at 17:30. The pre-show begins at 18:15 and puck drops at 18:30. ILVES+ pregame coverage starts at 17:30, and a 1,000-strong student crowd added extra atmosphere for the Kenttäkarkelot event. Season tickets include travel on Tampere regional public transport, Nysse, on matchday.

After Wednesday’s win, Ilves’ next match is against SaiPa on Friday, with a second game scheduled for Sunday as well, according to Ilves.