Finland women's national ice hockey team
The Finnish women's national ice hockey team represents Finland at the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) World Women's 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. Finland's national women's program is ranked third in the world by the IIHF and has 5,858 active players as of 2019.[2]
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| Nickname(s) | Naisleijonat (Lady Lions) |
|---|---|
| Association | Finnish Ice Hockey Association |
| Head coach | Pasi Mustonen |
| Assistants | Kari Eloranta Juuso Toivola |
| Captain | Jenni Hiirikoski |
| Most games | Karoliina Rantamäki (256) |
| Most points | Riikka Sallinen (204) |
| IIHF code | FIN |
  | |
| Ranking | |
| Current IIHF | 3  |
| Highest IIHF | 3 (first in 2003) |
| Lowest IIHF | 4 (first in 2006) |
| First international | |
Finland   (Copenhagen, Denmark; 26 December 1988) | |
| Biggest win | |
Finland  (Düsseldorf, West Germany; 4 April 1989) | |
| Biggest defeat | |
Canada .svg.png){kind=small} (St. John's, Canada; 12 November 2010) | |
| World Championships | |
| Appearances | 19 (first in 1990) |
| Best result |  |
| European Championships | |
| Appearances | 5 (first in 1989) |
| Best result |  |
| Olympics | |
| Appearances | 6 (first in 1998) |
| Medals |  |
| International record (W–L–T) | |
| 198–169–12 | |
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Olympic Games | ||
.svg.png){kind=icon} | 1998 Nagano | Team |
| 2010 Vancouver | Team |
| 2018 Pyeongchang | Team |
| World Championships | ||
.svg.png){kind=icon} | 2019 Finland | |
| 1990 Canada | |
| 1992 Finland | |
| 1994 United States | |
| 1997 Canada | |
| 1999 Finland | |
| 2000 Canada | |
| 2004 Canada | |
| 2008 China | |
| 2009 Finland | |
| 2011 Switzerland | |
| 2015 Sweden | |
| 2017 United States | |
| European Championships | ||
.svg.png){kind=icon} | 1989 West Germany | |
| 1991 Czechoslovakia | |
| 1993 Denmark | |
| 1995 Latvia | |
| 1996 Russia | |
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). Finland's main rival is 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, they lost the semi-final game against Canada in the same tournament, so the Finns were relegated to 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, it appeared Finland had won 2–1 in overtime, after a game-winning goal by Petra Nieminen, to win their first World Championship. However, Finland's celebrations erupted on the ice but were quickly terminated when the United States requested video review for goalie interference. The goal was reviewed for over ten minutes and eventually overturned. The call sparked such immense controversy that the IIHF was compelled to release a press statement the next day addressing the reasons for overturning the goal.[3] Finland finished as runners-up and won a silver medal after losing to the United States 2–1 in a shootout.[4]
Tournament record
Olympic Games
| Games | Finish | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
.svg.png){kind=small} |  | ||||||||
 | 4th | ||||||||
 | 4th | ||||||||
| | ||||||||
 | 5th | ||||||||
 | | ||||||||
 | To be determined | ||||||||
World Championships
| Year | Location | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Ottawa | |
| Tampere | |
| Lake Placid | |
| Ontario | |
| Espoo | |
| Ontario | |
| Minnesota | 4th |
| Halifax and Dartmouth | |
 | Linköping and Norrköping | 4th |
| Winnipeg and Selkirk | 4th |
| Harbin | |
| Hämeenlinna | |
 | Zurich | |
| Burlington | 4th |
| Ottawa | 4th |
| Malmö | |
| Kamloops | 4th |
| Plymouth | |
| Espoo |  |
| Halifax and Truro | Cancelled[5] |
| Halifax and Truro |
European Championship
| Year | Location | Result |
|---|---|---|
 | Füssen, Landsberg and Kaufbeuren |  |
| Frydek-Mistek, Havirov | |
 | Esbjerg | |
 | Riga | |
| Yaroslavl | |
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
- 2001 – Won Silver Medal
- 2002 – Won Bronze Medal
- 2003 – Won Bronze Medal
- 2004 – Finished in 4th place (4 Nations Cup)
- 2005 – Won Bronze Medal
- 2006 – Finished in 4th place (4 Nations Cup)
- 2007 – Won Bronze Medal
- 2008 – Finished in 4th place (4 Nations Cup)
- 2009 – Finished in 4th place (4 Nations Cup)
- 2010 – Won Bronze Medal
- 2011 – Finished in 4th place (4 Nations Cup)
- 2012 – Finished in 4th place (4 Nations Cup)
- 2013 – Won Silver Medal
- 2014 – Finished in 4th place (4 Nations Cup)
- 2015 – Won Bronze Medal
- 2016 – Won Bronze Medal
- 2017 – Won Bronze Medal
- 2018 – Won Bronze Medal
Women's Nations Cup
Formerly known as the Air Canada Cup, the MLP Nations Cup and the Meco Cup.
- 2003 – Won Bronze Medal
- 2004 – Finished in 4th place (Air Canada Cup)
- 2005 – Won Silver Medal
- 2006 – Won Silver Medal
- 2007 – Finished in 6th place (Air Canada Cup)
- 2008 – Won Silver Medal
- 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
- 2013 – Won Bronze Medal
- 2014 – Won Gold Medal
- 2015 – Won Bronze Medal
- 2016 – Won Silver Medal
- 2017 – Won Gold Medal
- 2018 – Won Bronze Medal
Canada Cup
- 2009 Canada Cup – Won Bronze Medal
Current roster
Roster for the 2020 IIHF Women's World Championship in Halifax and Truro, Nova Scotia.[6]
Head Coach: Pasi Mustonen
| No. | Pos. | Name | Height | Weight | Birthdate | Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 | G | Meeri Räisänen | 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in) | 64 kg (141 lb) | 2 December 1989 | |
| 41 | G | Noora Räty | 1.65 m (5 ft 5 in) | 65 kg (143 lb) | 29 May 1989 | |
| 31 | G | Jenna Silvonen | 1.64 m (5 ft 5 in) | 63 kg (139 lb) | 2 January 1999 | |
| 6 | D | Jenni Hiirikoski – C | 1.62 m (5 ft 4 in) | 62 kg (137 lb) | 30 March 1987 | |
| 21 | D | Sini Karjalainen | 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in) | 62 kg (137 lb) | 30 January 1999 | |
| 9 | D | Nelli Laitinen | 1.69 m (5 ft 7 in) | 62 kg (137 lb) | 29 April 2002 | |
| 4 | D | Rosa Lindstedt | 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in) | 80 kg (180 lb) | 24 January 1988 | |
| 7 | D | Sanni Rantala | 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in) | 63 kg (139 lb) | 8 July 2002 | |
| 88 | D | Ronja Savolainen | 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in) | 72 kg (159 lb) | 29 November 1997 | |
| 15 | D | Minttu Tuominen | 1.65 m (5 ft 5 in) | 71 kg (157 lb) | 26 January 1990 | |
| 23 | F | Sanni Hakala | 1.54 m (5 ft 1 in) | 55 kg (121 lb) | 31 October 1997 | |
| 12 | F | Elisa Holopainen | 1.65 m (5 ft 5 in) | 55 kg (121 lb) | 27 December 2001 | |
| 12 | F | Ida Karjalainen | 1.66 m (5 ft 5 in) | 62 kg (137 lb) | 11 April 1997 | |
| 33 | F | Michelle Karvinen – A | 1.67 m (5 ft 6 in) | 69 kg (152 lb) | 27 March 1990 | |
| 27 | F | Julia Liikala | 1.66 m (5 ft 5 in) | 55 kg (121 lb) | 20 March 2001 | |
| 16 | F | Petra Nieminen | 1.69 m (5 ft 7 in) | 64 kg (141 lb) | 4 May 1999 | |
| 20 | F | Matilda Nilsson | 1.64 m (5 ft 5 in) | 60 kg (130 lb) | 2 March 1997 | |
| 61 | F | Tanja Niskanen | 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in) | 70 kg (150 lb) | 11 September 1992 | |
| 19 | F | Emmi Rakkolainen | 1.74 m (5 ft 9 in) | 60 kg (130 lb) | 9 August 1996 | |
| 66 | F | Susanna Tapani | 1.77 m (5 ft 10 in) | 65 kg (143 lb) | 2 March 1993 | |
| 40 | F | Noora Tulus | 1.65 m (5 ft 5 in) | 64 kg (141 lb) | 15 August 1995 | |
| 24 | F | Viivi Vainikka | 1.65 m (5 ft 5 in) | 64 kg (141 lb) | 23 December 2001 | |
| 2 | F | Kiira Yrjänen | 1.61 m (5 ft 3 in) | 60 kg (130 lb) | 2 January 2002 | |
Awards and honors
IIHF Women's World Championship Directorate awards
- Kirsi Hänninen, Best Defenceman: 1999[7]
- Jenni Hiirikoski, Best Defenceman: 2009[8], 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019
- Jenni Hiirikoski, Most Valuable Player: 2019
- Noora Räty, Best Goalie: 2007, 2008[9], 2011, 2017, 2019
- Noora Räty, Most Valuable Player: 2008[9]
- Katja Riipi, Best Forward: 2000
- Riikka Sallinen, Best Forward: 1990, 1994
See also
- 2009–10 Finland women's national ice hockey team
- Finland women's national U-18 ice hockey team
- Women's ice hockey in Finland
References
- "IIHF Women's World Ranking". IIHF. 24 April 2020. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
- "IIHF Member National Association Finland". IIHF International Ice Hockey Federation. Retrieved 2019-06-26.
- "Statement from IIHF". International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF). 2019-05-19. Retrieved 2019-07-07.
- Gartland, Dan (2019-05-19). "Finland Got Straight-Up Robbed of Its First World Women's Hockey Championship". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 2019-07-07.
- "Women's Worlds cancelled". iihf.com. 7 March 2020.
- Malmberg, Henna (2020-03-04). "Naisleijonien MM-joukkue valittu – Sukupolven vaihdos tuo MM-joukkueeseen seitsemän ensikertalaista" (in Finnish). Finnish Ice Hockey Association. Retrieved 2020-03-05.
- 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). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-01-18. Retrieved 2017-12-30.
- Collins gem Hockey Facts and Stats 2009–10, p. 546, Andrew Podnieks, Harper Collins Publishers Ltd, Toronto, Canada, ISBN 978-1-55468-621-6.
External links
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