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CKT · 02-08-2019, 07:46 PM

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Kyllönen Disappointed With His Playoff Performance, Vows To Become a Falcons Legend

[Image: tumblr_om7n1qGLNP1qj7wuoo3_500.gif]

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There you have it, the St. Louis Scarecrows are the S45 SMJHL Four Star Cup Champions, knocking off the Detroit Falcons in 6 games. Despite an extremely impressive regular season, Detroit weren’t able to replicate that same form in the finals, and after staving off elimination at home, they were overpowered by the Scarecrows in St. Louis.

After the game Detroit’s first line rookie center Raino Kyllönen made himself available to media, a tough task for any player directly after losing in the Four Star Cup finals, let alone a rookie.
The small scrum began with the media asking about the game that just transpired, one that saw St. Louis steamroll Detroit in the first period, creating an ultimately insurmountable lead. “We just couldn’t catch a break in that first period. Robbie was working his ass off in net, and we just couldn’t keep our legs moving for him to fend them off. I definitely feel like I didn’t start on time and that’s going to plague me until the puck drops on S46. We came on a little stronger towards the end of the game, but it just wasn’t to be. It hurts, but it is what it is.

The media then moved onto the opposing goaltenders performance, Aleister Cain, who stopped 25 of 28 shots to end his playoffs with a 12-4-0 record between the pipes. Kyllönen simply shrugged, still clearly frustrated from the game, “Yeah, he was great. Not much to say other than that.”

Kyllönen’s fantastic rookie season, especially in the regular season, was then brought up, but the young Finn was quick to dismiss his performances. “It’s not such a big deal to me. It was nice, sure, but the important thing was that the team was winning. That’s what made it special. If I didn’t have the players I had around me, the coaches and the GM, I wouldn’t have done half as well as I did at the end of the day. I owe everything to them and I’m thankful more than anything.”

The conversation then turned to Raino’s playoff performance, and Kyllönen was the first to criticise himself. “I know I’m a rookie, but a lot was expected of me in the postseason. You know, I got put on the first line and when you’re there you’re supposed to produce, and I just didn’t do enough of that. It wasn’t my linemates, it wasn’t the competition, the blame all lies with me. There are a lot of areas of my game I need to work on. It’s nice to think back about all my regular season points but they don’t mean anything - these are the ones that meant something. So it’s frustrating for sure.”

In 18 playoff games during the S45 postseason Raino Kyllönen produced only 8 points, five goals and three assists. For a pass first center, Kyllönen stated that “it’s simply not good enough from me, I needed to be better and I wasn’t. I let a whole lot of people down.”

It may seem odd for a rookie to be so harsh on himself, but for a young Finn that’s used to winning at every level he’s played at, it’s that drive and determination that’s made him a winner - maybe, just maybe, he needed to learn to lose. When the question was put to him Raino shook his head, “No. Maybe in hindsight we can all look back and call this a learning experience, but right now we lost a tight game, a good series, and it sucks. I don’t need to learn how to lose because I’m not going to do a whole lot of losing with this team. I’m really proud of us, the squad, the way we stuck together throughout the season and the way we advanced through the rounds in the postseason. As far as I recall no one said we’d get this far before the season started, everyone only began to call us the favorites after the regular season we had.”

He shrugs. “We’re a really good team, but not good enough today. That’s hockey for you. I’m proud of our team and we’re going to come back stronger.”

“As for me…” Raino took a sharp inhale, running a hand through his hair, matted from sweat after a hard fought battle.

“You can believe me when I say I’m going to come back a different player. If you think I had a good rookie year, I’m going to have an even better 2nd year. You know, we have so many good players here, SHL teams are going to want them for next season, which means it’s going to be on the likes of me to step up and do my part to help this team even more, and I’m going to do exactly that. I want to be a Falcons legend and I’m not stepping on SHL ice until that happens.”

Questioned further on the SHL and his possible team in regards to the upcoming draft, Raino didn’t seem all that interested in it. “I’ve talked to a couple of teams, sure. I had some really good conversations with more than one, but look, right now, like I said, I’m not really thinking about the SHL or any of the teams that are going to draft me. I’ll be there at the draft, and if I pull on a jersey, that’s amazing, but as soon as that’s done I’m going right to work on making sure I perform for my country and for the Falcons in the future. That’s all that really matters to me right now. Thanks guys.”

With that, Kyllönen thanked the media, shaking hands with a few specific members of the media, likely those who’ve been covering the Falcons throughout the season. Following that, Raino walks past the cameras and down the hallway towards the designated away team dressing room, looking equal parts frustrated and disappointed as he does so.