Post Season preview: Quarter Finals

 

Can Kitee turn a newly refurbished Rantakentä into a field of dreams?

Joensuun Maila (1) v Pattijoen Urheilijat, Raahe (8)

Head to head: Joensuu hold all the cards in this matchup - PattU has only beaten them once since 2015, which was on 30th July 2019. Whilst Pattijoki tied the first jakso in their first of the 2 games against JoMa this season on 18th July, they have posed no real threat to one of the most solid defences in the league.

Form: Joensuu’s form is immaculate; they haven’t lost a game since 9th July this year! That’s 21 straight victories. Curiously both of Joensuu’s losses this season have been at home, so they have 100% away record. In their last 5 games, Joensuu dropped points to IPV and Kitee, but went 2-0 in the other 3 games - including their most recent game against PattU on 20th August. PattU’s form has been pretty poor all season; however they have won 4 of their last 5 games (their last defeat in fact was against Joensuu).

Prediction: Joensuu to win 2-0.

Summary: Joensuu are virtually unstoppable right now and have lost only 2 games since 15th September 2019! Joensuu had the first pick of their opponents in the first round of the playoffs and chose PattU, who finished 8th after a difficult season. Whilst PattU’s season as a whole has been a disaster, their form coming into the postseason is the best they have been in all year. Despite having some key names in their lineup, Pattijoki has struggled to meet expectations and felt the pressure to perform, ultimately leading to disappointment. Throw in the injury to Jari Törmänen that kept him on the sidelines for most of the season and PattU look fairly harmless on paper. Now that PattU are in the top 8, it best the question whether the pressure to perform is “off” and in fact we may see a more lively attack from them. Overall Joensuu are simply too strong to be beaten by PattU and in fact most of the top 8 seem second best to the reigning champions.

Sotkamon Jymy (2) v Seinäjoen JymyJussit (7)

Head to head: Sotkamo dominates this matchup historically, winning the last 9 games between the 2 teams. In fact you have to go back to 2017 for a Seinäjoki victory. This season Sotkamo took 5 points out of 6 in their 2 games against Seinäjoki, where Seinäjoki tied a jakso at home on 16th July. 

Form: Sotkamo are on strong form, wining 4 out of the last 5 games, losing their final game of the season to Kitee which had no effect on the table. In complete contrast, Seinäjoki lost 4 of their last 5 games, beating KPL in the final game of the season to secure their place in the top 8. Except for the final game in the season, Seinäjoki have not beaten a top 8 team since 2nd August.

Prediction: Sotkamo to win 2-0.

Summary: Whilst Sotkamo were second to pick their opponents for this series, they were probably delighted to see that Seinäjoki were still on the table. Seinäjoki were a solid top 8 team at the start of the season, but as the warm weather has started to disappear, so have Seinäjoki’s chances of progressing in the post season. If results had fallen in a different way on the last day of the season, they would have finished outside of the top 8. Sotkamo have been consistently strong all season, albeit (unlike Joensuu) they do look beatable. Sotkamo may be beatable, but not to Seinäjoki if they play like they have done in the past few weeks. 

Vimpelin Veto (3) v Hyvinkään Tahko (6)

Head to head: This season has been a walkover for Vimpeli against Hyvinkää, where Vimpeli have picked up maximum points in both games. The last 5 games between the 2 teams have in fact been 2-0 wins for Vimpeli, so the matchup really does look one-sided.

Form: Both teams have improved in the latter stages of the season, more so in respect of Hyvinkää, who sunk to 11th in the table at one point. Vimpeli have won 4 of their last 5 games, losing to Kempele in extra innings. In fact Vimpeli have only lost 2 of the last 15 games, both at the hands of teams that finished much lower than them in the table. In terms of Hyvinkää, 5 of their last 6 losses have been at the hands of teams that finished in the top 4, including two 2-0 losses to Vimpeli. 

Prediction: Vimpeli to win 2-0.

Summary: Vimpeli have been steadily improving during the season and “project Vimpeli” is almost complete, with Perttu Ruuska adapting to life as a Lukkari (Pitcher) and the team’s younger players stepping up. Hyvinkää on the other hand have been in disarray for much of the season - with Miika Rantatorikka stepping into the role of game manager with just over a month before the start of the season. Hyvinkää’s outfield had some serious problems in the regular season and Pihkala became a happy hunting ground for hard-hitters. As the season came towards an end, Hyvinkää dug deep and found an extra gear that meant that they could not only lift themselves back into the top 8, but finish 6th in the table. The matchup has the potential for an upset, with a re-energised Hyvinkää and unpredictable Vimpeli; however the amount of talent and belief behind Vimpeli will probably make the difference. 

Kouvolan Pallonlyöjat (4) v Kiteen Pallo -90 (5)

Head to head: KPL have had the better results in the last 5 games; however Kitee win the most recent game on 4th August 2-0. This matchup is a replay of the 2018 post-season series that KPL won and led to them eventually winning silver against Joensuu. KPL won that series 3-1; however this season has shorter series and a single loss could easily put KPL on the back foot.

Form: Both teams have won 2 out of the last 5 games; however KPL’s losses to Manse an Seinäjoki seem to suggest that they are out of form at the moment. KPL have slipped from top spot in the table down to 4th during the season and Kitee have stormed their way into 5th. 

Prediction: KPL to win, 2-1, but don’t be surprised if Kitee win!

Summary: Out of all of the series in the first round of the playoffs, this is the one to watch closely. Kitee have been very successful in the regular season and are the only team that threatened to beat Joensuu in each of their games this year. KPL started strong in the season, but too many games in such a short time seems to have taken its toll. If you look at how the 2 teams are performing coming into this series, you could be mistaken for thinking that Kitee were the favourites; however there are just too many key players with star quality on KPL’s lineup to dismiss them as championship contenders. In many ways this is the hardest series to predict, but on balance KPL remain favourites. Having said that, it is hard not to believe in Kitee in their anniversary year!