Liiga Playoffs: SaiPa Outscores Ilves 7-2 for Bronze

SaiPa crushes Ilves 7-2 to claim Liiga bronze

Antti Kalapudas had 2 goals and 1 assist as SaiPa dominated the second and third periods for a 7-2 win over Ilves.

Tappara hosts KooKoo in Game 1 of the Liiga finals on Saturday, April 2nd, after SaiPa claimed third place...

SaiPa secured third place in the Liiga playoffs after a 7-2 win over Ilves in the single-game matchup between the two semifinal losers.

 

The final score made it look one-sided, but it was even early on. Emil Kuusla opened the scoring for SaiPa in the second minute before Jarrko Parikka equalized for Ilves seven minutes later.

The game stayed tied 1-1 until midway through, but the second period belonged to the home side. Henri Nikkanen put SaiPa back in front 11 minutes into the second, scoring seconds after Ilves returned to full strength following Peter Quenneville’s holding penalty.

Samu Bau made it 3-1 three minutes later, and Kuusla netted his second unassisted to push SaiPa ahead 4-1 heading into the third period.

Miikka Salomaki’s tripping penalty gave Ilves a spark, and Matic Torok cut the deficit to 4-2 in the third minute of the third period. The comeback didn’t last long though. Antti Kalapudas and Niklas Appelgren responded quickly, and Miro Tauslahti finished the 7-2 win with a goal five minutes from the end.

SM-pronssimitalistit keväällä 2026: @Liiga_SaiPa! 🥉👏

📸 Topi Lainio | #Liiga pic.twitter.com/aagkbH4txe

— Liiga (@smliiga) April 30, 2026

 

SaiPa follow up last season’s silver with bronze this year, while Ilves drop one spot to fourth compared to 2025. Antti Kalapudas leads the Liiga playoffs with 15 points on 3 goals and 12 assists heading into the finals.

Tappara open the finals at home against KooKoo on Saturday, April 2nd.