HIFK Helsinki opened the Club Friendly Games with a 4-2 regulation win over Lahti Pelicans, built almost entirely on an explosive first period. After one frame HIFK led 3-0 and never looked back, even as Pelicans tightened the game over the final two periods.
The hosts scored three times in the opening 20 minutes and carried a three-goal cushion into the first intermission. Both teams traded goals in the second period, making it 4-1 for HIFK after two, and Lahti could only add one more in the third as the scoreline settled at 4-2.
The decisive number was the first-period margin: 3-0 on the scoreboard, effectively deciding a game that Lahti outscored HIFK 1-0 in the final period. HIFK’s early burst was the difference in a friendly that still required only regulation to settle.