"We shut down their forwards and their scoring chances"

Last night's Champions Hockey League Semi-Finals game between Finnish side Tappara Tampere and Swiss side EV Zug saw the home team skate away with a two-goal lead heading into their Semi-Finals Return Game next week, as Zug struggled to keep all their players on the ice throughout the game picking up 12 penalty minutes to Tappara's six.

Tappara were on the front foot for most of the game, controlling the result from start to finish. The Liiga side racked up more shots on goal and most importantly blocked all of Zug's, as Christian Heljanko in net recorded his fourth shutout of the season.

"Our powerplay unit is good" Tappara Tampere's Niko Ojamäki

Occasional scorer Mikael Seppälä scored just one minute into the game to put Tappara up by one goal before a spectacular Niko Ojamäki fired in a first-timer on the powerplay to double his side's advantage at 32:20.

"I think it was a good game for us," started the 27-year-old forward, "we defended well and scored two goals - a good win for us. We shut down their forwards and their scoring chances."

With seven goals, Ojamäki is his side's top scorer this season. Combined with assists, he's scored a point per game and has been one of the most important players out on the ice.

The Finnish international is especially lethal on the powerplay, scoring numerous goals while a man up.

"Our powerplay unit is good, Jori Lehterä is a great passer, I just need to find a line and he'll get the puck to me," he said.

Tappara could count on the support of their faithful fans who turned up in numbers (Photo: Jooel Hildén)

A good performance in front of a sizeable crowd in Tappara's Nokia Arena means that the Finnish team will travel to Switzerland for their Return Game with a solid two-goal lead. Will that affect their strategy in any way?

"Well, we do have a lead but we need to play like it's 0-0 and attack, not just defend - they have so many good forwards and can really create so many chances," said Ojamäki.

If they mange to hold off Zug, Tappara would make the CHL Final for a second season in a row. What would that mean for them as a team?

"It would be great, but let's focus on the game in Zug first," said the Tappara top scorer, "but of course, if we make the Final we want to win," he concluded.

Tappara will travel to Switzerland for the Return Game of their Semi-Finals series with Zug for a game scheduled for Tuesday, 17 January at 20:15 CET.