IHK and KeuPa met in Mestis on Saturday evening, with the visitors claiming a 4:3 victory at the home arena. The result moves KeuPa off the bottom of the table while the leaders drop a point they expected to take. We had tipped the hosts for a comfortable win at 71 per cent confidence, but the match turned on its head.
IHK came into the fixture sitting top after nine games, seven wins and two defeats. KeuPa had played one more fixture and languished in ninth with three wins and seven losses. The visitors had lost their previous meeting 6:1, a scoreline that suggested another routine evening for the hosts.
KeuPa opened the scoring and held on despite the home pressure. The visitors had been inconsistent lately, losing to Kiekko-Pojat Joensuu 2:3 and suffering a 1:6 hammering at the hands of IHK earlier this month. This time they showed up and took their chances when it mattered.
The home side fought back to level matters but could not find a winner in the closing stages. IHK had bounced back from a 2:3 loss to Hermes with three wins in a row, including that 5:3 triumph over Pyry Nokay. They ground out the win in most fixtures but found themselves second to everything tonight.
The result leaves IHK at the summit but under pressure to respond. KeuPa move to 0 points with ten games played, still searching for consistency after their recent struggles. The visitors had beaten Kettera 5:2 and lost to RoKi Rovaniemi 2:5 in their previous outings, showing flashes of promise without building momentum.
