What is the secret of Ässät's strong season? This is how Rami Määttä, who rose to the Lions, answers.

TAMPERE. Ässät has thrown a wrench into the plans of the league’s major teams right from the start of the season.

The team from Pori went into the international break at the top of the league. One of the surprises of the team’s strong start, Rami Määttä, received a call-up to the national team for the Lions’ EHT home tournament as a reward for his strong autumn.

Määttä sees a clear reason behind his strong start to the season.

– I have dared to play more with the puck. Probably the fact that the team has scored a lot of goals helps as well, Määttä explains his strong point production in an interview with Suomikiekko after the Lions’ Thursday morning practice.

Ässät’s top position in the league has come as a surprise even to the defender himself.

– I did believe that we could compete for good positions, but of course being at the top of the league – that’s a tough position.

Määttä sees one main factor behind Ässät’s strong start to the season.

– Our game has been quite ready right from the start when the league kicked off. Everyone is on the same page.

Määttä’s own responsibility has grown significantly under the guidance of Jarno Pikkarainen in his second season with Ässät compared to before. The 23-year-old defender emphasizes Pikkarainen’s importance in the background of the strong start to the season.

– “Pike” certainly understands the game well and is good at working with people, Määttä praises the 52-year-old head coach.

Määttä will make his debut in the national team on Thursday evening when the Lions face Switzerland at Nokia Arena in the opening match of the EHT tournament starting at 6:30 PM. Check out Finland’s lineups for the match here.

Markus Nuutinen