The puck was fed down to the half-wall, and with five players of the Växjö Lakers keenly focussed on the puck carrier, Tappara Tampere's Topi Rönni did what any smart hockey player would do, he moved into the soft part of the ice, the open space, that beautiful patch of ice, where there's perfect vision of the play unfolding, and nothing but wide open net. By the time teammate Jere Henriksson had sent a bullet Rönni's way, the six-foot-two forward's skates were firmly planted in the slot, with the puck easily redirected into the back of the net, past Växjö's netminder Adam Åhman.
Jere had the puck and I decided to go for the goalTappara Forward Topi Rönni
The goal was an important one for visiting side Tappara who were down 2-1 going into the second period against their well-experienced Swedish rivals. Despite getting on the scoreboard early thanks to Canadian forward Tyler Morley, Tappara found themselves in strife after the six-time CHL qualifiers Växjö struck back twice before the end of the first period.
"It was quite a good game, with both teams having their chances," explained Rönni of the Round of 16 first leg game. With both teams kept scoreless in the third period, the final result was a 2-2 tie on the road for Tappara.
For the young forward, his first CHL point was a special career milestone. "Of course it's a big thing," he says of the goal.
Every minute up here (in Tappara) is very important.Topi Rönni on Tappara's journey to the Round of 16
Whichever way it's looked at, putting up points at this level of competition, at his age, is nothing short of impressive.
The 17-year-old Finnish forward who hails from Hausjärvi, a small municipality in Southern Finland, with a population of just over 8,000 is an exciting prospect, he's also home-grown Tappara talent, having been involved in their juniors program since 2016.
It will be Ronni's first time competing in the CHL and Finland's top flight, Liiga, although he is no stranger to high level hockey. In fact, he's been a staple on team Finland's juniors roster, and his numbers are a good indicator of his offensive value as a player. His debut with Finland's U16 included ten points (2G,8A), in 15 games, and two seasons later he notched an equally impressive 11 goals (3G,8A) in nine games for their U18 team.
Rönni's contributions will be key for Tappara, who despite having participated in every CHL season to date, have never managed to go beyond the Round of 16.
With a bright professional career in sight, the lad takes a lighthearted approach to mixing it up with Europe's best. "I need to enjoy every moment I get here," he exclaimed, and what of the next game? "I'm sure it will be a good matchup!"
Catch all the action when the puck drops at Hakametsä Stadium on 23 November at 18:00 CET.