The Oilers have had a championship-caliber team in previous years as well. This spring, however, the team seems to have grown really big, writes journalist Jaakko Tiira.
From Espoo The Oilers won their third consecutive victory in the final series of the men’s floorball league and are just one win away from the Finnish championship.
In the fifth final played at the Helsinki Ice Hall, Oilers beat Tampere Classic 8–6.
Wednesday night in the final game, the Oilers made the difference by being blunt at the right moments. Especially in the goal-rich second period, which the home team won 5–3, the Oilers nailed the ball into the Tampere team’s net every time the visitors were getting a hold of the game.
In the third period, the Oilers were in a hard rotation for long periods of time and let Classic into the goal end, but finally withstood the onslaught of the guests.
At Nordis, the Oilers showed signs of a great team. It was effective in its places. The Oilers have had a championship-caliber team in previous years as well. This spring, however, the team seems to have grown really big.
There has been a certain kind of seizing on the moment, boredom and determination characteristic of a champion team. Absences or chain changes have not shaken the playing of the people from Espoo.
Oilers has presented a tremendous growth story in the final series. The team’s hitting ability before the final series was a big question mark. Several key players suffered from injuries in previous playoff series.
In the first two Finals, the Oilers were tame and passive. Classic dominated the field events to their heart’s content. In the third final, Classic already seemed to be on its way to its third victory, when it led by two goals five minutes before the final buzzer. The Oilers got off the bridge, won in overtime and took the final series.
Sula can be put in charge of the Oilers’ coaching staff for turning the streak around Aleksi Lammin into the hat. Starting with the third final, the Oilers have clearly been playing more aggressively. It has produced a lot of exploits in the middle area, counterattacks and confused the rhythm of Classic’s game.
The Oilers the championship looming within a win would return the floorball scepter to the capital region for a long time. The previous floorball champion from the capital region has since been kicked out by SSV in the spring of 2011.
Before the current dry season, the capital region was for a long time a superior center of power for the sport. From 1994 until 2011, all men’s league championships went to the capital region. 17 championships in a row.
Helsinki’s Vikings, SSV, HIFK, VFT from Vantaa and Espoon Oilers lifted the flag four times.
The gold medals were so firmly stuck in the capital region that in the final stages of the championship pipeline, the rest of Finland already started to hope that the champion didn’t matter so much, as long as it came from outside Ring III.