Strand the difference-maker as Ilves climb to third with win over TPS Turku

[p]The first period was both a closely-fought affair and goalless, yet it took just 35 seconds of the second period for the deadlock to be broken, as [b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/wernblom-lukas/CtUX4moN/"]Lukas Wernblom[/a] struck his fourth of the season[/b] to put [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/tps-turku/Wd5rVrgM/"]TPS[/a] ahead.[/p][p]But with the midpoint of the match approaching, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/ilves-tampere/Oh5uGzDT/"]Ilves[/a] hit back when [b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/strand-austin/GOueLb40/"]Austin Strand[/a] set up [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/henman-luke/ADRnATR0/"]Luke Henman[/a] to equalise[/b], amid a tense few minutes when a series of penalties were given out, including to two players per team for fighting.[/p][embed guid="b0c47243-53a0-4288-b90b-f1f4b6802805" url="https://x.com/smliiga/status/2104216279439577144" social-type="twitter" /][p]The third period was a calmer affair, though it exploded into life five minutes from time when [b]Strand scored to give Ilves their first lead of the game[/b], and after [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/lantta-jaakko/WApzRxEL/"]Jaakko Lantta[/a] got called for tripping, the Turku side went all out for an equaliser by pulling the goaltender. Yet it backfired, and [b]Henman repaid the earlier favour by teeing up Strand to score his second into the empty net.[/b][/p][p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/paajanen-otto/fke4uA6C/"]Otto Paajanen[/a] scored what turned out to be no more than a consolation[/b] in the final seconds, and with the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/hockey/ilves-Oh5uGzDT/tps-turku-Wd5rVrgM/?mid=IDyA5pft"]3-2[/a] win, the Tampere side are up to third in the Liiga standings - 17 points from seven matches - while TPS sit eighth having won four and lost four this season.[/p][p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/hockey/finland/liiga/"]Follow the new Liiga season on Flashscore.[/a][/b][/p]