In August and September, the teams HIFK, Ilves, Kärpät, Tappara, and TPS will compete in a tournament that spans three cities. The tournament will begin in Turku, continue in Tampere, and finish in Helsinki.
In August five Liiga teams will launch together a new tournament format, the 3v3 Super Series in which the games will be played with three skaters. The teams that will participate in the tournament are HIFK from Helsinki, Ilves from Tampere, Kärpät from Oulu, Tappara from Tampere, and TPS from Turku.
The tournament will begin on August 21st in Turku, and Tampere will host the next games on August 27th and 28th. The tournament culminates with the last games of the round robin and the playoff games on September 11th in Helsinki. The number of spectators in the arena will be regulated by the COVID-19 restrictions at the time, and everyone must follow safety regulations given by authorities during the event.
– Our aim is to organize entertaining events for hockey fans and participate in Liiga’s preseason with a new tournament format that has been very successfully tried out last season in North America. The NHL’s All-Star game utilizes this format, and there are plans for a 3v3 league in the US for the summer of 2021. Here in Finland we want to be at the forefront of developing ice hockey, and this is an example of that. The games will surely be extremely entertaining, and we cannot wait for them to start, commented Veli-Pekka Marin, vice chairman of HC TPS Oy.
– I got excited the second I heard about the concept of this tournament. The audience will certainly get to see great, entertaining hockey and us players will have a good chance to display our skills in smaller teams. I am looking forward to the games with great interest, and it’s great that the first day of the tournament will be played on our turf in Turku, enthused HC TPS forward Juuso Pärssinen.
Since fall of 2015, Liiga teams have played overtimes with three skaters, which has significantly increased the amount of scoring chances and brought entertainment value to the game. Now the same number of players will play games of 2 x 10 minutes in the round robin and 2 x 15 minutes in the playoffs.
– The 3-on-3 overtime has really been a successful improvement in hockey, and now we are making entertaining events for fans in three cities. At the same time the teams get to practice playing 3-on-3. In addition, this is excellent marketing for the Liiga season which will begin a few weeks after the Super Series, said Tobias Salmelainen, sports administrator of HIFK.
“Great players will certainly stand out in this format”
The games in Turku and Helsinki will be played in a span of one day, but the teams will spend two days in Tampere. Tappara hosts the games on Thursday, August 27th, and the day after is Ilves’ turn.
– The 3v3 tournament will be a great addition to the preparation for the new season. The 3v3 games are a new and awesome experience for the players to test who is the best. The games are entertaining for the audience to watch, and it’s a good chance for the coaching staff to see the players playing in a normal match. Great players will certainly stand out in this format. We will go to the 3v3 Super Series to succeed and make history, recounted Tappara’s head coach Jussi Tapola.
The Ilves camp is also excitedly looking forward to the tournament.
– The 3v3 Super Series is an excellent chance for the players to showcase their skills and for the fans to see the clubs’ new players. When it comes to the Liiga season, the games also give the coaches great information on which players and player combinations fit the 3-on-3 overtime format the best. Hockey is fundamentally a game of scoring goals, and the format highlights that. It is great that the event is held in Tampere on consecutive days so that we get to witness numerous players and top teams in a short time. We trust that we’ll deliver entertaining events full of goal-scoring, said Timo Koskela, Ilves’ sports administrator.
Kärpät plays all its round robin games in Tampere and Helsinki.
– Playing 3-on-3 has proven to be extremely entertaining because of the nonstop action on the ice. This is a new kind of concept which we will now start to test and develop. If the format works, we’ll hopefully be watching these games in Oulu as well in the future. Kärpät is always happy to be a part of building and developing new things, such as the modern CHL. This tournament will definitely generate more interest and discussion into the practice season, said Kärpät’s managing director Tommi Virkkunen.
C More will broadcast live on all tournament days
The whole tournament will be covered intensively on C More’s live broadcasts. In addition to every match, studio segments and player interviews will also be aired. You can watch the broadcasts on C More as well as on Telia TV.
– Hockey fans are now really eager, so it’s great to be able to show the top teams’ games even before the actual season kicks off. The fast-paced and entertaining format is cut out for watching on TV, too. In the fall the production of the Liiga broadcasts will move over to C More, and therefore the tournament will certainly raise hype going towards the start of the season, illustrates Kalle Takala, executive producer of C More’s Liiga broadcasts.
The tournament rules
– Every game will be played 3-on-3 (each team with three skaters plus goalie).
– The five participating teams all play each other twice.
– Playing time is 2 x 10 min in round robin and 2 x 15 min in playoff games.
– Teams are allowed to name 11 skaters and two goalies to the team for round robin. For playoff games teams can name up to 13 skaters.
– The overtime rules are the same as in Liiga’s matches. If a penalty is given, the play will continue 4-on-3 or with two penalties, 5-on-3.
– If the game is tied after two periods, the teams will compete in the shootout with one player shooting at a time.
Playing schedule
Turku 21.8.
17.00-17.30 TPS – Tappara
17.45-18.15 HIFK – Ilves
18.45-19.15 TPS – HIFK
19.45-20.15 Ilves – Tappara
20.30-21.00 TPS – Ilves
Tampere 27.8.
17.00-17.30 Tappara – Kärpät
17.45-18.15 HIFK – TPS
18.45-19.15 Kärpät – Ilves
19.45-20.15 Tappara – HIFK
20.30-21.00 TPS – Kärpät
21.15-21.45 Tappara – Ilves
Tampere 28.8.
17.00-17.30 Ilves – HIFK
17.45-18.15 Kärpät – Tappara
18.45-19.15 Kärpät – TPS
19.45-20.15 Tappara – TPS
20.30-21.00 Kärpät – HIFK
21.15-21.45 Ilves – Kärpät
Helsinki 11.9.
16.30-17.00 HIFK – Kärpät
17.15-17.45 Ilves – TPS
18.00-18.30 HIFK – Tappara
19.00-19.45 Semifinal 1 (2. vs 3.)
20.00-20.45 Semifinal 2 (1. vs 4.)
21.15-22.00 Final
