- Pardubice secured a spot in the Quarter-Finals
- Ilves lost 5-3 on aggregate
- Pardubice outshot Ilves 70-45
Ilves Tampere found themselves playing catch-up in tonight's game against Dynamo Pardubice at the Enteria Arena. With a 3-1 deficit from last week’s encounter with the Czechs, Ilves knew they had to put up a strong fight to overcome the two-goal handicap.
Pardubice entered the game confidently, given their more advantageous starting position. Nevertheless, the aggregate score after the final buzzer decided who will continue their journey to the Quarter-Finals.
The first period was fast-paced with both teams testing their shooting abilities. However, it was the Finns who struck gold first, with Joona Ikonen taking the honours as his well-aimed wrist shot found its way past the home team’s goalie with ease. Despite many more shot attempts, none found the mark.
The Czechs couldn’t leave the opening goal unanswered - taking advantage of an extra player after a high-sticking penalty for Ilves, Pardubice bombarded Gunnarsson's net with shots, and Martin Kaut emerged as the successful shooter reinstating the Czechs' two-goal buffer.
But not for long as Ilves' Suomi found himself in a prime scoring opportunity that he capitalised on. The comeback was one step closer once again.
At 28:46, Dynamo's Matej Paulovič picked up a penalty for delaying the game by throwing the puck over the glass. This handed Ilves a massive advantage of having two extra men on the ice. Unfortunately for the Finns, it didn’t lead to a change on the scoreboard.
The home team reinstated their two-goal aggregate lead at 42:13. Ondřej Vála unleashed a shot from the blue line that Adam Musil expertly tipped in.
Tensions ran high for the remainder of the last period, resulting in roughing calls on both sides. Ilves, in a desperate attempt to stage a comeback, went all-in by playing with an empty net for the last two minutes, but their efforts went unrewarded.
As the final buzzer sounded, the game was over and so was the series. Dynamo Pardubice won 2-2, but more significantly, they secured a 5-3 victory on aggregate, earning them a ticket to the Quarter-Finals.