It's been a difficult group stage for Lukko Rauma, but they will advance after a 6-1 win over ERC Ingolstadt. Read more in Gamecentre.
Lukko Rauma are through to the CHL playoff stage once again after a convincing 5-1 win in Ingolstadt gives them a four-point cushion over the German club with only a game left for both teams. Showing their team's depth, five different scorers chipped in for Lukko, with Lauri Tukkonen, Steven Seigo, Toni Koivisto and Aaron Gagnon registering two points each.
Tukkonen got the only goal of a conservatively played first period, picking the far top corner on the power play. Sami Lahteenmaki made it 2-0 just past the eight-minute mark of the second, and then almost seven minutes later Thomas Greilinger cut the lead in half with a power-play goal for Ingolstadt.
It was all downhill for the home team from that point, however. Ville Vahalahti scored for Lukko in the first minute of the third period, opening the floodgates to a 6-1 victory.
Ingolstadt coach Tommy Samuelsson said, "We had our chances and reacted very well after the 2-0 goal, but if you don't score, then each goal against you costs more. The 3-1 goal early in the third period was the goal that won the game."
"We started well and had chances,” thought Ingolstadt forward Martin Buchwieser, “but we lost our concentration for a few minutes and they got a few goals against us. If you aren't concentrated for 60 minutes at this level, then this happens. On Saturday we want to win out last game."
Despite the one-sided score, Ingolstadt actually out-shot Lukko 24-23 of the game, and Lukko coach Juha Vuori thought it wasn't as one-sided as it seemed. “Yeah, I think it was a tight game. It was tough coming in here after losing in Zurich, and we knew Ingolstadt are a good team. Our team is definitely in a growing process and the younger players need to see what the veteran players do in situations like this and learn from it.”