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]

Finnish national women's ice hockey team at the Women's Air Canada Cup 2008 in Ravensburg, Germany.
Finland
Nickname(s)Naisleijonat (Lady Lions)
AssociationFinnish Ice Hockey Association
Head coachPasi Mustonen
AssistantsKari Eloranta
Juuso Toivola
CaptainJenni Hiirikoski
Most gamesKaroliina Rantamäki (256)
Most pointsRiikka Sallinen (204)
IIHF codeFIN
Ranking
Current IIHF3 (24 April 2020)[1]
Highest IIHF3 (first in 2003)
Lowest IIHF4 (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
Appearances19 (first in 1990)
Best result Silver: (2019)
European Championships
Appearances5 (first in 1989)
Best result Gold: (1989, 1991, 1993, 1995)
Olympics
Appearances6 (first in 1998)
Medals Bronze (1998, 2010, 2018)
International record (W–L–T)
198–169–12
Finland women's national ice hockey team
Medal record
Olympic Games
1998 NaganoTeam
2010 VancouverTeam
2018 PyeongchangTeam
World Championships
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
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
GamesFinish
1998 Nagano Bronze
2002 Salt Lake City4th
2006 Turin4th
2010 Vancouver Bronze
2014 Sochi5th
2018 Pyeongchang Bronze
2022 BeijingTo be determined

World Championships
YearLocationResult
1990Ottawa Bronze
1992Tampere Bronze
1994Lake Placid Bronze
1997Ontario Bronze
1999Espoo Bronze
2000Ontario Bronze
2001Minnesota4th
2004Halifax and Dartmouth Bronze
2005Linköping and Norrköping4th
2007Winnipeg and Selkirk4th
2008Harbin Bronze
2009Hämeenlinna Bronze
2011Zurich Bronze
2012Burlington4th
2013Ottawa4th
2015Malmö Bronze
2016Kamloops4th
2017Plymouth Bronze
2019Espoo Silver
2020Halifax and TruroCancelled[5]

European Championship
YearLocationResult
1989Füssen, Landsberg and Kaufbeuren Gold
1992Frydek-Mistek, Havirov Gold
1994Esbjerg Gold
1997Riga Gold
1999Yaroslavl 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

Current roster
Main article: List of Finland women's national ice hockey team rosters

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
18GMeeri Räisänen1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)64 kg (141 lb) (1989-12-02) 2 December 1989 AIK IF
41GNoora Räty1.65 m (5 ft 5 in)65 kg (143 lb) (1989-05-29) 29 May 1989 KRS Vanke Rays
31GJenna Silvonen1.64 m (5 ft 5 in)63 kg (139 lb) (1999-01-02) 2 January 1999 Mercyhurst Lakers
6DJenni Hiirikoski – C1.62 m (5 ft 4 in)62 kg (137 lb) (1987-03-30) 30 March 1987 Luleå HF
21DSini Karjalainen1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)62 kg (137 lb) (1999-01-30) 30 January 1999 Vermont Catamounts
9DNelli Laitinen1.69 m (5 ft 7 in)62 kg (137 lb) (2002-04-29) 29 April 2002 Kiekko-Espoo
4DRosa Lindstedt1.87 m (6 ft 2 in)80 kg (180 lb) (1988-01-24) 24 January 1988 HV71
7DSanni Rantala1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)63 kg (139 lb) (2002-07-08) 8 July 2002 Team Kuortane
88DRonja Savolainen1.76 m (5 ft 9 in)72 kg (159 lb) (1997-11-29) 29 November 1997 Luleå HF
15DMinttu Tuominen1.65 m (5 ft 5 in)71 kg (157 lb) (1990-01-26) 26 January 1990 Kiekko-Espoo
23FSanni Hakala1.54 m (5 ft 1 in)55 kg (121 lb) (1997-10-31) 31 October 1997 HV71
12FElisa Holopainen1.65 m (5 ft 5 in)55 kg (121 lb) (2001-12-27) 27 December 2001 KalPa
12FIda Karjalainen1.66 m (5 ft 5 in)62 kg (137 lb) (1997-04-11) 11 April 1997 HPK
33FMichelle Karvinen – A1.67 m (5 ft 6 in)69 kg (152 lb) (1990-03-27) 27 March 1990 Luleå HF
27FJulia Liikala1.66 m (5 ft 5 in)55 kg (121 lb) (2001-03-20) 20 March 2001 HPK
16FPetra Nieminen1.69 m (5 ft 7 in)64 kg (141 lb) (1999-05-04) 4 May 1999 Luleå HF
20FMatilda Nilsson1.64 m (5 ft 5 in)60 kg (130 lb) (1997-03-02) 2 March 1997 KalPa
61FTanja Niskanen1.76 m (5 ft 9 in)70 kg (150 lb) (1992-09-11) 11 September 1992 KalPa
19FEmmi Rakkolainen1.74 m (5 ft 9 in)60 kg (130 lb) (1996-08-09) 9 August 1996 Kiekko-Espoo
66FSusanna Tapani1.77 m (5 ft 10 in)65 kg (143 lb) (1993-03-02) 2 March 1993 TPS Akatemia
40FNoora Tulus1.65 m (5 ft 5 in)64 kg (141 lb) (1995-08-15) 15 August 1995 Luleå HF
24FViivi Vainikka1.65 m (5 ft 5 in)64 kg (141 lb) (2001-12-23) 23 December 2001 Team Kuortane
2FKiira Yrjänen1.61 m (5 ft 3 in)60 kg (130 lb) (2002-01-02) 2 January 2002 Team Kuortane

Awards and honors

IIHF Women's World Championship Directorate awards

See also

References
  1. "IIHF Women's World Ranking". IIHF. 24 April 2020. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
  2. "IIHF Member National Association Finland". IIHF International Ice Hockey Federation. Retrieved 2019-06-26.
  3. "Statement from IIHF". International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF). 2019-05-19. Retrieved 2019-07-07.
  4. Gartland, Dan (2019-05-19). "Finland Got Straight-Up Robbed of Its First World Women's Hockey Championship". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 2019-07-07.
  5. "Women's Worlds cancelled". iihf.com. 7 March 2020.
  6. 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.
  7. Collins gem Hockey Facts and Stats 2009–10, p.542, Andrew Podnieks, Harper Collins Publishers Ltd, Toronto, Canada, ISBN 978-1-55468-621-6
  8. "Awards" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-01-18. Retrieved 2017-12-30.
  9. Collins gem Hockey Facts and Stats 2009–10, p. 546, Andrew Podnieks, Harper Collins Publishers Ltd, Toronto, Canada, ISBN 978-1-55468-621-6.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.