In a striking turn of events, the injury tally for Kuopio’s hockey team has reached unprecedented heights. In tonight’s lone league match, HPK takes on KalPa in what is being dubbed a “special game” due to the extraordinary circumstances surrounding the visiting team.
KalPa finds itself facing a daunting challenge, with a staggering nine of its top eleven scorers sidelined. This season, the squad has netted a total of 152 goals, but today, they are without 91 of those essential contributions. Among the missing forwards are notable names such as Teemu Hartikainen, Patrick Curry, Jaakko Rissanen, Juuso Mäenpää, Andreas Okany, Cade Borchardt, and Benjamin Korhonen. On the defensive front, they are also without crucial players: Filip Westerlund, Lasse Lappalainen, and Hugo Gallet, who is set to represent France in the upcoming Olympics.
As the team assembles under such challenging conditions, the resilience and determination of KalPa will surely be tested on the ice tonight.