Halli SM 2020 preview

Joensuu prepare for their opening match against Siilinjärvi with a win over Kitee
Photograph from Joensuu Facebook.  (C) Joensuun Maila 2020

Halli SM 2020 preview

With the new year only just begun, eyes turn to the start of the Halli SM tournament starting on 12th January when Joensuu host Siilinjärvi. But before the first pitch is tossed, we take a look at who we think will take the medals in 2020.

The group stage of the tournament shapes up as follows, with the top team from each group advancing to the semi finals:

Group A (3 teams)
Kempeleen Kiri
Pattijoen Urheilijat, Raahe
Sotkamon Jymy

Group B (4 teams)
Joensuun Maila
Imatran Pallo-Veikot
Kiteen Pallo -90
Siilinjärven Pesis

Group C (4 teams)
Kankaanpään Maila
Koskenkorvan Urheilijat
Seinäjoen JymyJussit
Vimpelin Veto

Group D (3 teams)
Kouvolan Pallonlyöjat
Tampere Manse PP
Hyvinkään Tahko

Who will advance from each group?
Groups A and D have 3 teams in each and the clear favourites to advance are Sotkamo and KPL respectively. Sotkamo are prolific threats to championships, despite having lost their dominance in recent years. Sotkamo’s swift dismissal of Raahe in the playoffs in 2019 looks set to repeat itself, although 2019 turned up some curious results for them and in a group of 3, even 1 loss could be massive. KPL are a powerhouse in recent years and look set to turn over Superpesis’ newest addition Tampere and Tahko. The addition of Jere Dahlström for KPL could lift them to yet another level and the tournament will be a great insight into how that signing could play out during the regular season.

Groups B and C are more expansive as there are 4 teams in the mix, the ones to beat will be Joensuu (current Halli SM gold medalists and Superpesis champions) and Vimpeli respectively. If you don’t pick Joensuu as favourites to advance then there is seriously something wrong with your judgment. Joensuu have the most explosive lineup in the sport and are hampered only in so much as they are fatigued from winning everything! Having made some more choice moves in the off-season, Joensuu are undoubtedly favourites to advance in a group that has Kitee (who finished 8th in 2019 regular season) IPV (who finished 9th) and Siilinjärvi (who finished 13th). Vimpeli had a stellar regular season in 2019 and topped the table; however after their sweep of Kitee in the first round of the playoffs, things started to fall apart and they failed to win a medal. Vimpeli have not made any notable changes to their lineup for 2020 and we are sure to see more of the same, although they will be determined to end their recent championship drought. 

Which teams could upset the favourites and advance from the groups?
There are probably 2 teams in different groups that could stage an upset - Raahe and Kitee. Raahe could advance if Sotkamo’s inconsistency follows them through to 2020 and Raahe are on form; however Sotkamo’s sweep of them in the 2019 Superpesis playoffs will put doubt in their minds. Kitee on the other hand could stage the shock of the tournament if they were to advance over Joensuu. To topple the current champions however, Kitee will have to overcome the loss of Topi Hurskainen (who signed for Joensuu) during the off-season. Kitee showed tremendous determination in the final stretch of the regular season in 2019, which included a supervuoro win over Joensuu on 9th August. Given the fact that Kitee have SiiPe and IPV to face in the group, a good set of results is not necessarily on the cards, but they certainly are capable of being in the mix.

Who will take home the medals?
Joensuu look in prime position to take home yet another gold, but of the others who we predict will advance to the knockout stages of the tournament there is something about KPL that makes us think they could take the gold. Vimpeli and Sotkamo are very strong teams, but the off-season has been very quiet for Vimpeli and Sotkamo have been making far stronger moves to enhance their future stars. On balance it is likely that Vimpeli would come out on top over Sotkamo, who may be more inclined to mix up their lineup and experiment with some of their younger talent. 

So overall we predict:

Gold - Joensuu
Silver - KPL

Bronze - Vimpeli

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Playoff previews 2021: Semifinals

Image
The semifinals promise to be action packed and full of surprises… The first round of the playoffs are now over and the semifinals are set. Here is my preview of the last 4: (1) Manse PP v (4) Sotkamo Both of these teams played a tough series to reach the semifinals. Manse almost became the victims of a surprise series win by IPV; however Manse came back from losing their opening 2 games and won in 5 games. Sotkamo’s road to the semifinals had a substantially more threatening roadblock in the form of a hungry Joensuu side. If JoMa had home field advantage for the series, or the ball had bounced a certain way, this semifinal would look very different. Sotkamo’s regular season games against top 4 sides were not great and they lost more games than the other 3. Despite a dazzling performance at Kaupi on 30th July, Manse still got the better of the reigning champions in their most recent matchup. Manse now have to prove that they are the championship contenders they claim to be. Expect th
Read more

Finals review 2021

Image
In 5 games we were treated to some tense games and superb defence, but in the end Manse PP managed to break through and seal their first men’s championship in the club’s history in a 1-0 win over KPL. Manse finished top of the league in the regular season and soon became favourites to reach the final; however they were soon faced with elimination from the playoffs when they unexpectedly lost the first 2 games of their quarterfinal series against IPV. In the end, neither IPV or reigning champions Sotkamo could stop the star-studded team from securing their first final in only their second season in Superpesis. In my predictions going into the final, I struggled to pick a clear winner, but ended up backing KPL. At that point, I was convinced that Manse hadn’t reached their true potential this season and thought KPL would exploit that. A few weeks later and it seems that Manse did indeed unlock their potential and showed the strength of their defensive game in ways we rarely got to se
Read more

Qualification series preview 2021

Image
Could we see Oulu or Jyväskylä in Superpesis next year? With SiiPe claiming victory by the narrowest of margins in a 5 game series against Hamina, they join Kankaanpää in their quest to stay in superpesis next season by playing the top 2 teams from Ykköspesis. The winners of the 2 series will qualify for Superpesis next year, the losers will play in Ykköspesis in 2022. (13) Kankaanpää v (Y2) Jyväskylän Lohi   Kankaanpää weathered the storm in the regular season and despite a tough schedule at the start of the season managed to cling on to 13th place and avoid the elimination series. Their place in Superpesis next season is not safe and they will have to beat Lohi to secure it. Jyväskylä is the home town of pesäpallo’s creator, Lauri “Tahko” Pihkala, as well as being a significant centre for Pesis since its creation, with the city hosting a women’s time that has won the last 3 championships; so it would be a fitting tribute for them to be in Superpesis in the 100 anniversary season.
Read more