PA blistering opening seven minutes and nine seconds was all Assat needed to ultimately beat Kiekko-Espoo 5-2 and set up a quarter-final tie with SaiPa.
In the third minute, Roope Talaja pounced on a loose puck in front of the net as KE failed to clear Samuli Piipponen's centre, and 90 seconds later Nestor Noiva fought off defenders as he cut inside from the left and fired past the goaltender.
The Pori side were in dreamland come the eighth minute, as Noiva won possession in the visitors' zone and laid the puck back for Patrik Juhola to slam home for 3-0.
That's how things stayed until midway through the game, when Noiva forced another turnover before drawing the goaltender and squaring the puck for Sakari Kostilainen to add a simple fourth.
However, that goal seemed to galvanise the Espoo side, who pulled one back seconds later when Leo Komarov scored unassisted, and then inside the last five minutes of period two, a neat passing move unlocked the Assat defence and Kristian Nakyva made it a two-goal game.
But the Aces managed to hold their nerve, shutting out the Kiekko comeback in the final period, and completed a 5-2 win in the final minute when Feetu Knihti found the empty net, condemning KE to a second wildcard-round exit in as many seasons.
Reigning Liiga champions KalPa still have the chance to defend their title, as they won a tense game-five battle with IFK Helsinki 3-2 after overtime to reach the quarter-finals, where they will play Ilves.
Having found themselves 2-1 down in the series, KalPa looked to have done the hard part, passing the game four test with flying colours, winning 4-1 away to set up a decider on home ice.
But having already won in Kuopio, HIFK came in with no fear, and proved it in the seventh minute, when Oliver Larsen found a route to goal to break the deadlock unassisted. The game remained cagey, with 24 shots on goal over the first two periods; 14 belonged to KalPa, but they couldn't take advantage.
However, the visitors gave KalPa a huge lifeline just 10 seconds into the third period, when Petr Kodytek was given a game misconduct penalty for slashing. Three minutes later, the home side made use of the powerplay and were level when Tim Soderlund found Patrick Curry.
The 5-on-4 situation continued, not that it didn't play much of a part in KalPa's second, when Filip Westerlund's shot from the blue line whistled past the goaltender and into the bottom corner.
Credit to HIFK, they stopped the rot and wanted to prove they were the better side when the teams were level, and got their reward in the final two minutes, when Kalle Ervasti found Sebastian Repo wide on the right, and despite the tight angle, powered a wrist shot into the net.
That meant the series would be settled in overtime, in which neither side were prepared to give an inch, but after HIFK failed to make the most of a powerplay following a hook from Curry, they were punished in the cruellest way, as Curry himself scored the winner 10 minutes into the extra period.
That goal ended the capital side's season one round earlier than their previous campaign.
Game one of the quarter-final series will be played on Saturday 28th March.