Karpat vs Luleå

The match opened at a high tempo, with both sides looking to impose themselves early. Karpat drew first blood when defenceman Rasmus Rissanen found the net, but Luleå responded before the first intermission to level the score at 1-1. The precise minute and assist details beyond the opening frame are not available from the live provider at time of writing.

Further goals followed across the second and third periods. Karpat's additional scorers were Eemil Erholtz and Eetu Päkkilä, while the Kärpät official website also credited assists to Eetu Koivistoinen, Samuli Ratinen and Roni Hirvonen. The total of seven goals made for an entertaining pre-season contest that required extra time to separate the sides.

The match entered 3-on-3 overtime deadlocked at 3-3. That was when Joona Koppanen struck the decisive blow. The 195 cm Finnish centre, who joined Luleå this summer after nine seasons in North America (including 33 NHL games with Boston and Pittsburgh), found space and finished to secure the road win. NSD's David Olsson Jiglund, reporting live from Oulu, wrote that Koppanen "räddade Luleå Hockey borta mot Kärpät" (saved Luleå away against Kärpät).

Koppanen's goal extended Luleå's head-to-head lead over Karpat to 13 wins against 8 in the 21 meetings between the clubs dating back to 2011.

Joona Koppanen (Luleå) — The OT hero on his first competitive appearance for Luleå on European ice after returning from North America. Used his size and poise to finish the winner.

Eemil Erholtz (Karpat) — Among Karpat's goal scorers, continuing his productive pre-season form (+2 on the night per Kärpät's official stats).

Eetu Päkkilä (Karpat) — Scored and registered the best plus-minus among Kärpät players (+3).

Rasmus Rissanen (Karpat) — Opened the scoring from the blue line with a goal and finished +2.

Player of the Match: Joona Koppanen (Luleå) — OT winner on debut.

The Betmana match page records the final score as 3-4 AOT with a 1-1 first period. Karpat's official site confirms three unique goal scorers (Rissanen, Erholtz, Päkkilä) and three assisters (Koivistoinen, Ratinen, Hirvonen), indicating contributions spread across the forward and defensive groups. The total of seven goals sits above the historical H2H average of 4.9 goals per game across the 21-match rivalry.

Luleå have now won 13 of the 21 encounters (62%), while both teams scored in 62% of previous meetings.

This was Luleå's first pre-season friendly of the 2026/27 campaign, broadcast live in Sweden on Expressen. The SHL side demonstrated resilience coming from behind on the road against a Liiga opponent — a positive sign as they build towards the SHL season opener.

For Karpat, this was their second pre-season outing in as many days, following a 3-0 loss to JYP on 20 August. The run continues with away fixtures against Ilves (26 August) and Tappara (27 August) before the Liiga regular season begins in early September.

Next fixtures:

• Karpat: vs Ilves (26 August, away), vs Tappara (27 August, away)
• Luleå: vs Skellefteå AIK (26 August, home), vs Modo (1 September, home)

A pre-season contest that delivered seven goals and an overtime finish. Koppanen's winner in his Luleå debut was the headline, but both sides gained the high-intensity minutes needed ahead of their respective league openers. Luleå's ability to rally on the road against a Finnish opponent with genuine Liiga quality is the bigger takeaway for a club with SHL championship ambitions.