It's still all to play for as TPS Turku and Lukko Rauma skate to a 3–3 tie in the first leg of their Champions Hockey League Quater-Final.
TPS Turku 3–3 Lukko Rauma 
by Luke Fisher, with contributions from Sami Koljonen and Markku Silvennoinen
TURKU – Anyone who arrived at the arena in Turku late to this evening's CHL quarter-final game would probably have regretted doing so, as an early flurry of goals looked to have decided the course of Lukko's visiting to TPS – however, a late surge set up the tie perfectly for next week's return leg.
The home side took an early lead, with Tomi Kallio notching the opening goal with just 6:06 played. However, TPS's lead would last only a little under four minutes, as Teemu Nurmi tied the game at 9:55, and it got worse for the hosts when Lukko's Janne Lahti turned the puck home to put the Rauma side 2–1 ahead with 13:28 played.
"The first 10 minutes of the first period was very speedy hockey and the other 10 minutes of it was very open hockey. There was quite a lot of chances for both teams, in my view," TPS head coach Ari-Pekka Selin said about the opening period.
That's the way the score stayed as the teams began the middle period, in which Lukko were indebted to their netminder. Ryan Zapolski pulled off a string of saved during the second period to keep his side one goal ahead, turning away nine shots.
The final period started in the worst possible way for the hosts, with Jesper Piitulainen sneaking the puck past Oskari Setanen from a bad angle to put Lukko 3–1 ahead. Setanen did, however, bail his team out in the next five minutes as Lukko stepped up a gear, but without a goal to show for it. A couple of power-play chances went begging for TPS in the middle of the period as they failed to convert, while Lukko continued to look both solid in defence and dangerous on attack as the period draw to a close.
There was to be late drama, though. Dave Spina swept up a loose puck from just in front of the crease to half the deficit for TPS with just under three minutes to play, and then a Janne Niskala minor penalty meant that TPS would play the vast majority of the final two minutes with a man advantage. Tomi Kallio was the hero for the home side, stepping out in front and beating Zapolski top shelf to tie the game with just 20 seconds remaining and also getting his second goal of the game in the process.
"We were leading 3–1 in the end and then TPS got the score even," Lukko assistant coach Juho Vuori summed up. "It was disappointing, but all in all the numbers are fair. We didn’t have a lot of chances today and lately we have been having trouble scoring. Now we were able to get to the net and also this time we were able to put the puck in So in that sense it was a good performance and we need to keep in mind that the next game is the deciding one."
Selin concluded, "The spirit of the game changed completely after the first period and it was our shorthanded units whose hard battling gave us the breaks necessary to be able to pounce on the opponents in the end. Then in the closing moments our experienced guard took over and sent yet again the message that they are able to be there when the going gets tough."
So a tied game tonight in Turku means that it's winner takes all next week in Rauma!
GOALS:
1st 06:06 - 1:0 (EQ) - Tomi Kallio (Eric Perrin)
1st 09:55 - 1:1 (EQ) - Teemu Nurmi (Sami Lahteenmaki)- 1st 13:28 - 1:2 (EQ) - Janne Lahti (Turo Asplund)
- 3rd 42:01 - 1:3 (EQ) - Jesper Piitulainen
- 3rd 57:17 - 2:3 (EQ) - Dave Spina (Eric Perrin, Tomi Kallio)
- 3rd 59:40 - 3:3 (PP1) - Tomi Kallio (Eric Perrin, Ilkka Pikkarainen)
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