IPK vs Hermes

The third period was a one-sided affair from the opening face-off. Vili Toivonen's slashing penalty at 43:32 gave IPK the opening they needed. Just 33 seconds later, Arttu Paqvalin — atoning for his earlier interference minor — smashed a one-timer from Venni Tolppola past Saarinen on the power play. The goal at 44:05 stood as the game-winner and shattered Hermes's resistance.

Once ahead, IPK poured forward relentlessly. Riku Tohila added his second at 49:01, finishing a give-and-go with Rrahim Curri. Tomi Leppänen made it 4-1 at 52:56, burying a slot feed from Tolppola. Miro Ahvenlampi sealed the rout with an empty-net goal at 56:51 after Hermes pulled Saarinen for an extra attacker.

Venni Tolppola (IPK) — Three primary assists, all in the decisive third period. The forward's vision on the power-play setup for Paqvalin and his feed to Leppänen demonstrated his playmaking value as IPK builds toward the Mestis season.

Riku Tohila (IPK) — Two goals, including the opening shorthanded strike that set the tone and the 3-1 insurance marker. The centre was a constant threat.

Arttu Paqvalin (IPK) — A goal and an assist. His power-play game-winner was the turning point, and he also set up Leppänen's tally.

Kaj Saarinen (Hermes) — Faced 43 shots and made 38 saves. The Hermes goaltender was under siege from the opening face-off, particularly in the third period when IPK fired 24 shots. Without his efforts, the margin would have been far greater.

The shot count tells the story: IPK 43, Hermes 8. That 5.4-to-1 ratio reflects a game in which Hermes rarely threatened offensively, generating only 7 saves for Sammalniemi. IPK's 24 third-period shots alone nearly tripled Hermes's game total. Despite the lopsided shot chart, Hermes stayed level for 44 minutes thanks to Saarinen and Heinonen's equaliser. Special teams favoured IPK (1/3 on the power play while killing all three Hermes advantages, including Tohila's shorthanded goal). Penalty minutes were even at six apiece, but IPK's 33.3% power-play conversion against Hermes's 0% was decisive.

IPK enter the 2026-27 Mestis season with back-to-back pre-season wins following last week's 5-2 victory at KeuPa. Hermes, who beat RoKi 6-3 on 27 August, finish their pre-season schedule with a 1-1 record in their final two warm-up games. Both clubs open their Mestis regular-season campaigns in September.

A pre-season mismatch that revealed the gap in preparation and depth between the two Mestis sides. IPK's third-period explosion reflected sustained pressure that was always likely to break through; the 5-1 margin undersells how dominant the hosts were. Hermes will take heart from 44 minutes of competitive hockey but need to address a shot-suppression problem that saw them concede 43 attempts.