Nickname(s) | Naisleijonat ('Lady Lions') |
---|---|
Association | Finnish Ice Hockey Association |
General manager | Kimmo Oikarinen |
Head coach | Juuso Touvila |
Assistants | Saara Niemi Mikko Palsola |
Captain | Jenni Hiirikoski |
Most games | Karoliina Rantamäki (431) |
Top scorer | Riikka Sallinen (138) |
Most points | Riikka Sallinen (351) |
Team colors | |
IIHF code | FIN |
Ranking | |
Current IIHF | 4 1 (28 August 2023)[1] |
Highest IIHF | 3 (first in 2003) |
Lowest IIHF | 4 (first in 2006) |
First international | |
Finland 6–0 Norway (Copenhagen, Denmark; 26 December 1988) | |
Biggest win | |
Finland 34–0 Czechoslovakia (Düsseldorf, West Germany; 4 April 1989) | |
Biggest defeat | |
Canada 15–0 Finland (St. John's, Canada; 12 November 2010) | |
World Championships | |
Appearances | 23 (first in 1990) |
Best result | Silver: (2019) |
European Championships | |
Appearances | 5 (first in 1989) |
Best result | Gold: (1989, 1991, 1993, 1995) |
Olympics | |
Appearances | 7 (first in 1998) |
Medals | Bronze (1998, 2010, 2018, 2022) |
International record (W–L–T) | |
356–251–13 |
The Finnish women's national ice hockey team represents Finland at the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) Women's World Championships, the Olympic Games, the Four Nations Cup, and other international-level women's ice hockey competitions. The women's national team is overseen by the Finnish Ice Hockey Association and its general manager is Tuula Puputti. Finland's national women's program is ranked third in the world by the IIHF and had 5,858 active players as of 2019.[2]
History
Finland has finished third or fourth in almost every World Championships and Olympics, with one exception being a fifth place finish at the 2014 Winter Olympics and second place at the 2019 World Championship. They are ranked behind Canada (#2) and the United States (#1). Historically, Finland's primary rival was Sweden, which finished second to Canada at the 2006 Winter Olympics. Finland finished fourth, losing the game for the bronze medal to the United States. Finland defeated the United States for the first time, at the 2008 World Championship in China, 1–0 in overtime. Finland defeated Canada 4–3 for the first time at the 2017 World Championship in the United States. However, Finland lost the semi-final game against Canada in the same tournament, proceeding to win the bronze medal game.
At the 2019 World Championship, Finland reached the championship final for the first time in tournament history after beating Canada 4–2 in the semi-final. During the gold medal game, Petra Nieminen scored in overtime but her goal was overturned after a video review for goalie interference. The IIHF released a press statement the next day citing rules 186 and 183ii as the reasons for overturning the goal. Finland finished as runners-up and won a silver medal after losing to the United States in a shootout.[3]
Tournament record
Olympic Games
Games | Finish |
---|---|
1998 Nagano | Bronze |
2002 Salt Lake City | 4th |
2006 Turin | 4th |
2010 Vancouver | Bronze |
2014 Sochi | 5th |
2018 Pyeongchang | Bronze |
2022 Beijing | Bronze |
World Championships
Breaks indicate Olympic years.
Year | Location | Result |
---|---|---|
1990 | Ottawa | Bronze |
1992 | Tampere | Bronze |
1994 | Lake Placid | Bronze |
1997 | Ontario | Bronze |
1999 | Espoo | Bronze |
2000 | Ontario | Bronze |
2001 | Minnesota | 4th |
2003 | Beijing | Cancelled |
2004 | Halifax and Dartmouth | Bronze |
2005 | Linköping and Norrköping | 4th |
2007 | Winnipeg and Selkirk | 4th |
2008 | Harbin | Bronze |
2009 | Hämeenlinna | Bronze |
2011 | Zürich | Bronze |
2012 | Burlington | 4th |
2013 | Ottawa | 4th |
2015 | Malmö | Bronze |
2016 | Kamloops | 4th |
2017 | Plymouth | Bronze |
2019 | Espoo | Silver |
2020 | Halifax and Truro | Cancelled[4] |
2021 | Calgary | Bronze |
2022 | Frederikshavn and Herning | 6th |
2023 | Brampton | 5th |
2024 | Utica, New York |
European Championship
Year | Location | Result |
---|---|---|
1989 | Füssen, Landsberg am Lech and Kaufbeuren | Gold |
1991 | Frýdek-Místek, Havířov | Gold |
1993 | Esbjerg | Gold |
1995 | Riga | Gold |
1996 | Yaroslavl | Bronze |
3/4 Nations Cup
- 1995 – Finished in 4th place (4 Nations Cup)
- 1996 – Won Bronze Medal
- 1997 – Won Bronze Medal
- 1998 – Won Bronze Medal
- 1999 – Won Bronze Medal
- 2000 – Won Bronze Medal (4 nations Cup)
- 2001 – Won Silver Medal
- 2002 – Won Bronze Medal (4 Nations Cup)
- 2003 – Won Bronze Medal (4 Nations Cup)
- 2004 – Finished in 4th place (4 Nations Cup)
- 2005 – Won Bronze Medal (4 Nations Cup)
- 2006 – Finished in 4th place (4 Nations Cup)
- 2007 – Won Bronze Medal (4 Nations Cup)
- 2008 – Finished in 4th place (4 Nations Cup)
- 2009 – Finished in 4th place (4 Nations Cup)
- 2010 – Won Bronze Medal (4 Nations Cup)
- 2011 – Finished in 4th place (4 Nations Cup)
- 2012 – Finished in 4th place (4 Nations Cup)
- 2013 – Won Silver Medal (4 Nations Cup)
- 2014 – Finished in 4th place (4 Nations Cup)
- 2015 – Won Bronze Medal (4 Nations Cup)
- 2016 – Won Bronze Medal (4 Nations Cup)
- 2017 – Won Bronze Medal (4 Nations Cup)
- 2018 – Won Bronze Medal (4 Nations Cup)
Women's Nations Cup
Formerly known as the Air Canada Cup, the MLP Nations Cup and the Meco Cup.
- 2003 – Won Bronze Medal (Air Canada Cup)
- 2004 – Finished in 4th place (Air Canada Cup)
- 2005 – Won Silver Medal (Air Canada Cup)
- 2006 – Won Silver Medal (Air Canada Cup)
- 2007 – Finished in 6th place (Air Canada Cup)
- 2008 – Won Silver Medal (Air Canada Cup)
- 2009 – Finished in 5th place ( MLP Nations Cup)
- 2010 – Finished in 5th place ( MLP Nations Cup)
- 2011 – Finished in 6th place ( MLP Nations Cup)
- 2012 – Won Silver Medal (Meco Cup)
- 2013 – Won Bronze Medal (Meco Cup)
- 2014 – Won Gold Medal (Meco Cup)
- 2015 – Won Bronze Medal (Meco Cup)
- 2016 – Won Silver Medal (Women's Nations Cup)
- 2017 – Won Gold Medal (Women's Nations Cup)
- 2018 – Won Bronze Medal (Women's Nations Cup)
Canada Cup
- 2009 Canada Cup – Won Bronze Medal
Team
Current roster
Roster for the 2023 IIHF Women's World Championship.[5][6]
Head coach: Juuso Toivola
Assistant coaches: Saara Niemi, Mikko Palsola, Tuomas Tarkki (goaltender)
No. | Pos. | Name | Height | Weight | Birthdate | Team |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | G | Sanni Ahola | 1.71 m (5 ft 7 in) | 75 kg (165 lb) | 3 June 2000 | St. Cloud State Huskies |
2 | D | Sini Karjalainen | 1.74 m (5 ft 9 in) | 68 kg (150 lb) | 30 January 1999 | Vermont Catamounts |
4 | D | Rosa Lindstedt | 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in) | 81 kg (179 lb) | 24 January 1988 | Brynäs IF |
6 | D | Jenni Hiirikoski – C | 1.62 m (5 ft 4 in) | 62 kg (137 lb) | 30 March 1987 | Luleå HF |
7 | D | Sanni Rantala | 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in) | 62 kg (137 lb) | 8 July 2002 | KalPa |
9 | D | Nelli Laitinen | 1.69 m (5 ft 7 in) | 62 kg (137 lb) | 29 April 2002 | Minnesota Golden Gophers |
12 | F | Sanni Vanhanen | 1.68 m (5 ft 6 in) | 60 kg (130 lb) | 1 July 2005 | HIFK |
14 | D | Krista Parkkonen | 1.68 m (5 ft 6 in) | 65 kg (143 lb) | 25 June 2002 | Vermont Catamounts |
15 | F | Oona Havana | 1.71 m (5 ft 7 in) | 65 kg (143 lb) | 20 August 2004 | Kärpät |
16 | F | Petra Nieminen – A | 1.69 m (5 ft 7 in) | 67 kg (148 lb) | 4 May 1999 | Luleå HF |
19 | F | Emmi Rakkolainen | 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in) | 62 kg (137 lb) | 9 August 1996 | Kiekko-Espoo |
20 | F | Anna-Kaisa Antti-Roiko | 1.68 m (5 ft 6 in) | 60 kg (130 lb) | 21 May 2004 | Kärpät |
24 | F | Viivi Vainikka | 1.66 m (5 ft 5 in) | 67 kg (148 lb) | 23 December 2001 | Luleå HF |
25 | F | Kiira Yrjänen | 1.61 m (5 ft 3 in) | 58 kg (128 lb) | 2 January 2002 | HV71 |
27 | F | Anni Montonen | 1.69 m (5 ft 7 in) | 60 kg (130 lb) | 7 May 2000 | Kiekko-Espoo |
28 | F | Jenniina Nylund | 1.71 m (5 ft 7 in) | 63 kg (139 lb) | 18 June 1999 | St. Cloud State Huskies |
30 | G | Emilia Kyrkkö | 1.69 m (5 ft 7 in) | 68 kg (150 lb) | 24 February 2004 | Team Kuortane |
32 | F | Emilia Vesa | 1.77 m (5 ft 10 in) | 66 kg (146 lb) | 3 January 2001 | HIFK |
34 | F | Sofianna Sundelin | 1.69 m (5 ft 7 in) | 56 kg (123 lb) | 13 January 2003 | Team Kuortane |
36 | G | Anni Keisala | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) | 80 kg (180 lb) | 5 April 1997 | HV71 |
40 | F | Noora Tulus – A | 1.65 m (5 ft 5 in) | 59 kg (130 lb) | 15 August 1995 | Luleå HF |
88 | D | Ronja Savolainen | 1.77 m (5 ft 10 in) | 74 kg (163 lb) | 29 November 1997 | Luleå HF |
91 | F | Julia Liikala | 1.66 m (5 ft 5 in) | 64 kg (141 lb) | 20 March 2001 | HIFK |
Awards and honors
World Championship
Directorate awards
- Best Goalie
- Noora Räty: 2007, 2008,[7] 2011, 2017, 2019
- Anni Keisala: 2021
- Best Defenceman
- Best Forward
- Most Valuable Player
All-Star teams
- 1997: Riikka Nieminen (F)
- 2008: Noora Räty (G)
- 2009: Michelle Karvinen (F)
- 2011: Michelle Karvinen (F)
- 2013: Noora Räty (G)
- 2015: Jenni Hiirikoski (D), Meeri Räisänen (G)
- 2016: Jenni Hiirikoski (D), Meeri Räisänen (G)
- 2017: Jenni Hiirikoski (D), Noora Räty (G)
- 2019: Jenni Hiirikoski (D), Michelle Karvinen (F), Noora Räty (G)
- 2021: Anni Keisala (G), Petra Nieminen (F)
- 2023: Petra Nieminen (F)
See also
References
- ↑ "IIHF Women's World Ranking". IIHF. 28 August 2023. Retrieved 28 August 2023.
- ↑ "IIHF Member National Association: Finland". IIHF. Retrieved 26 June 2019.
- ↑ "Statement from IIHF". IIHF. 15 April 2019. Retrieved 7 July 2019.
- ↑ Merk, Martin (7 March 2020). "Women's Worlds cancelled". IIHF. Retrieved 19 March 2021.
- ↑ Mennander, Pasi (21 March 2023). "Naisleijonien MM-joukkue julkistettiin – Tässä kokoonpano!". Finnish Ice Hockey Association (in Finnish). Retrieved 26 March 2023.
- ↑ "2023 IIHF Women's World Championship – Team Roster: Finland" (PDF). IIHF. 4 April 2023. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
- 1 2 Podnieks, Andrew (2009). Hockey Facts and Stats 2009–10. Toronto: HarperCollins. p. 546. ISBN 9781554686216.
- ↑ Collins gem Hockey Facts and Stats 2009–10, p.542, Andrew Podnieks, Harper Collins Publishers Ltd, Toronto, Canada, ISBN 978-1-55468-621-6
- ↑ "Awards" (PDF). IIHF. Archived (PDF) from the original on 18 January 2018. Retrieved 30 December 2017.
External links
- Official website (in Finnish)
- IIHF profile