Heljanko shuts out Kärpät as Tappara raise banner

By IceHockeyMan Editorial Team | Published: September 23, 2026, 15:04 CEST

Story Summary

Tappara celebrated last season’s championship with a banner-raising ceremony at Nokia Arena before beating Kärpät 4-0. Christian Heljanko recorded a shutout, while Aapeli Räsänen scored the opening and game-winning goal. Tappara moved into a 3-0 lead in the second period and completed a comfortable victory.

Key Facts

Tappara raised last season’s championship banner at Nokia Arena prior to the match.
Tappara defeated Kärpät 4-0 in the same game.
Christian Heljanko recorded a shutout and celebrated the clean sheet after the final buzzer.
Aapeli Räsänen scored the opening and game-winning 1-0 goal.
Tappara extended the lead to 3-0 in the second period.
Ondřej Pavel was among the Tappara goalscorers.
Julius Mattila and Juha Metsola brought the Kanada-malja onto the ice as part of the celebrations.
Tappara had several chances to add further goals during the match.
Niklas Rubin made saves in goal for Kärpät in an effort to keep his team in the contest.
Emotions rose at times in the third period as the teams finished the match.

IHM Discussion

The evening at Nokia Arena combined ceremony and competition. Tappara staged a banner-raising to mark last season’s title, then delivered a 4-0 win over Kärpät. Christian Heljanko’s shutout and Aapeli Räsänen’s game-winning opener set the tone, while Ondřej Pavel was also among the goalscorers. Kärpät turned to Niklas Rubin to make saves and keep the score down, but Tappara built a three-goal lead in the second period. Julius Mattila and Juha Metsola bringing the Kanada-malja onto the ice added to the occasion.

Why It Matters

The win gave Tappara a fitting conclusion to a night celebrating last season’s championship. Heljanko’s shutout and the second-period surge were the decisive features of a 4-0 result, while Kärpät were unable to find a way onto the scoresheet.