Lukko Stuns Ilves 5–1, Ends Home Win Streak at Nokia Arena
Lukko beat Ilves 5–1 at Nokia Arena, handing Ilves their first home loss of the season.
Lukko defeated Ilves 5–1 at Nokia Arena on Friday, handing Ilves their first home loss of the season. Lukko struck twice late in the first period, with Aleksi Saarela and Nuutti Viitasalo scoring at 14:22 and 15:09. They stretched the lead to 3–0 early in the second when Antti Saarela scored at 27:05. Ilves’ league scoring leader Luke Henman pulled one back 45 seconds later, but that proved to be as close as they came. Lukko regained control after a deflection made it 4–1, and Anton Olsson added an empty-netter at 56:59 to seal the result.
Both goalkeepers, Christoffer Rifalk and Daniel Salonen, finished with 19 saves. Attendance was 6,730. The loss ended Ilves’ perfect home record after earlier big wins at Nokia Arena, including a 6–0 home opener over KooKoo and a 6–4 victory over K‑Espoo. Ilves travels to Helsinki to face Jokerit tomorrow with more than 1,500 supporters expected to make the trip.
Ilves said the scoreline didn’t fully reflect every spell of the match, but Lukko’s finish made the win deserved.
Earlier coverage
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