23.12.2017 - Luke Fisher

Double delight for Sami Aittokallio

HC Sparta Praha netminder Sami Aittokallio had two reasons to celebrate after 3-2 win over Kometa Brno. The Finnish netminder backstopped Sparta to the three points and was voted player of the game for his team; but also revealed afterwards that his family were there to see it too.

"My family came here this week, they´re staying until New Year so itb´s going to be nice," he told reporters. "It´s special for me that they were in the crowd, and I´m happy they got to see this game with such a good atmosphere."

"We almost managed to bring everything there from Finland!" said the Tampere native. "The biggest thing is that they´re here, and we can spend Christmas a family."

Aittokallio has played in Finland and the NHL & ECHL. How does the TELH compare to back home? "I think it´s more offensive, that´s the biggest thing, there´s a huge difference in the offensive game," said the 25-year old. "Also the defensive zone play, it´s not as... ´organised´, all the time. There are times when anything can happen, but it´s good for me to learn that kind of game. It´s how I can get better."

And living in the Czech Republic? "Obviously the biggest difference is that I don´t know the language that well. I know some words of course. When the coaches talk I kind of know what they mean with their emotions, but of course most of the guys speak English so I can talk to them."

Lastly, the game against Kometa was played in front of almost 17,000 fans in a packed O2 arena. What was it like to be on the ice? "It was unreal, the atmosphere in the rink! So crazy, from the very beginning - couple of fights and big hits, and the crowd was going," said a smiling Sami. "It was a really nice game to play, big win for us and we need these points. When we can steal those from teams above us it´s always good."

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