Noora Räty

Noora Helena Räty (born 29 May 1989) is a Finnish ice hockey goaltender who currently plays with the Shenzhen KRS Vanke Rays of the Women's Hockey League and with the Finnish national team. She is a Professional Women's Hockey Players Association (PWHPA) Member of the Board.[1]

Noora Räty
Born (1989-05-29) 29 May 1989
Espoo, Finland
Height 1.65 m (5 ft 5 in)
Weight 65 kg (143 lb; 10 st 3 lb)
Position Goaltender
Catches Left
ZhHL team
Former teams		 Shenzhen KRS Vanke Rays
Espoo Blues
Minnesota Golden Gophers
Ilves Tampere
SKIF Nizhny Novgorod
Kiekko-Vantaa
Bewe TuusKi
KJT
Pyry Nokia
National team  Finland
Playing career 2004–present
Medal record
Women's ice hockey
Representing  Finland
Olympic Games
2010 VancouverTeam
2018 PyeongchangTeam
World Championships
2019 Finland
2008 China
2009 Finland
2011 Switzerland
2017 United States

Playing career

Räty was named Finland's best women's ice hockey player in 2007 and 2008 and best goalie in 2006 and 2007. She was awarded the Rookie of the Year in 2005–06. In national league action in Finland, she has played in over 55 games, 12 of which were shutouts. Throughout her national league career, Räty has held a 1.45 goals against average and a .950 save percentage. In playoff competition alone had eight shutouts in 22 games played with a 1.24 GAA. Räty also played competitively in high school and was named the Haukilahti High School best hockey player of the year 2006 and 2008.

Minnesota Golden Gophers

Räty was recruited by the University of Minnesota to play ice hockey with the Minnesota Golden Gophers, a member of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) of NCAA Division I. She began her collegiate career at the university in the autumn of 2009 with fellow Finland national team player Mira Jalosuo. Räty's first start in goal for the Gophers came in the team's second game of the 2009–10 season at home against Syracuse University (a 4–1 win).[2] Through the WCHA conference tournament on 7 March 2010, Räty amassed a 17–3–4 record in 24 starts with 7 shutouts, a GAA of 1.24, and a save percentage of .951.[3]

Räty won a number of WCHA conference awards during the 2009–10 season, being named WCHA Goaltending Champion (based on GAA), the goaltender of the All-WCHA First Team, and the goaltender of the All-WCHA Rookie Team.[4] Räty was also named the WCHA Defensive Player of the Week four times and WCHA Rookie of the Week once.[5]

In March 2010, Räty became only the second freshman to be a finalist for the Patty Kazmaier Award.[6] She set a Golden Gophers club record for most assists in one season by a goaltender (3).

To start the 2010–11 season, Raty had a shutout in the first three games of the season.[7] On 22 and 23 October 2010, she recorded back to back shutouts against the St. Cloud State Huskies. She held the Huskies scoreless as Minnesota swept the series by scores of 5–0 and 3–0, respectively. Raty played the full 120:00 minutes of the series. She accumulated 14 saves in the first game and 18 in the second for a 32-goal shutout.

Räty played on national championship teams in 2011–12 and 2012–13. The 2012–13 team finished 41–0–0, and the team won the last 49 games of Räty's career. Räty finished with both the career and single-season record for shutouts.[8]

Kiekko-Vantaa

In March 2014, Yle reported that Räty had signed a contract for the 2014–15 season with Kiekko-Vantaa of the Mestis, the second level of Finnish men's hockey after the Liiga.[9] She would become only the second woman to play in the Mestis, the first being Hayley Wickenheiser in 2003 with HC Salamat.

Räty was loaned to the Bewe TuusKi of the Suomi-sarja, the third level of Finnish men's hockey, for the beginning of the season. She played her first Mestis game for Kiekko-Vantaa on 22 October 2014, becoming the first Finnish woman to play in the league.[10]

CWHL

Selected in the first round of the 2017 CWHL Draft by China's expansion Kunlun Red Star franchise, she emerged as a key contributor for a club that finished the 2017–18 CWHL season in second place. Räty's first win with the Red Star took place on 28 October 2017, a 4–3 overtime win versus the Calgary Inferno in which she recorded 39 saves. Coincidentally, Annina Rajahuhta, a teammate from the Finnish national team, recorded the game-winning goal in overtime.[11] She would finish the season leading the league in goals against average and shutouts.

By season's end, Räty would emerge as the CWHL's regular season goaltending champion, leading the league in Goals Against Average. In addition, she would tie for the league in shutouts with goaltender Emerance Maschmeyer of Les Canadiennes, with 6. Of note, Räty would win the CWHL Goaltender of the Year Award, becoming the first European-born goaltender to capture the honor.

Räty was the starting goaltender for the Red Star in the 2018 Clarkson Cup finals, which were held in Toronto. Challenging the Markham Thunder, the contest went into overtime, where Laura Stacey scored with 2:11 left in the 4-on-4 overtime, as Markham prevailed by a 2–1 tally for its first-ever Cup win.[12] Räty recorded 37 saves in the contest.[13]

International play

Räty has been a member of the Finnish women's national team since the age of 15 and has recorded over 100 games in net for the team. At the age of 16, she participated with Team Finland in the women’s ice hockey tournament at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin.

During the 2008 World Championships, Räty recorded a 30-save shutout of Team USA for a 1–0 victory. She was named the Best Goalie of the Tournament by the Directorate in 2007 and in 2008, and earned the Most Valuable Player of the Tournament award in 2008.[14] At the 2009 World Championships she maintained a 1.48 goals against average and a 3–1–0 record, backstopping Finland for their second-straight bronze medal.

She won a bronze medal at the 2010 Four Nations Cup in St. John's, Newfoundland.

Noora Raty would post a shutout in the gold medal of the 2017 Nations Cup against the Canadian Women's Development Team, which featured opposing goaltender Emerance Maschmeyer. Finland prevailed in a 1–0 final that saw Michelle Karvinen log the game-winning tally.[15]

Personal life

Räty is one of the nine founding board members of the Professional Women's Hockey Players’ Association (PWHPA) and the only one to hold non-North American citizenship.[1][16] She has spoken about her hopes that the NHL will create a professional women's national hockey league in North America and her desire to play a part in the creation of such a league.[17]

Räty and her partner, Karel Popper, became engaged in June 2019.[18] Popper is a professional goaltending coach with MEGA Goaltending and the volunteer goaltending coach to the Minnesota Golden Gophers ice hockey teams.[19] The couple reside in Minneapolis with their dog, Dino.

Career statistics

NCAA career

Minnesota
SeasonGamesWinsLossesTiesGoals againstMinutesGAAShutoutsSavesSave %
2009–10261844361623:421.33037663.948
2010–11352582602036:411.76769957.941
2011–12403352532361:031.346910854.942
2012–13383800362240:110.964217776.956

Olympic career

Torino 2006
DateResultSaveSave %
13 FebruaryFinland 4, Switzerland 018100.0%
13 FebruaryCanada 6, Finland 01487.5%
13 FebruaryUSA 4, Finland 0763.6%

[20]

Vancouver 2010
  • In the bronze medal game versus Sweden, at the 2010 Olympics, Räty made 16 saves for Finland. The Finnish team would win the bronze medal 2:33 into overtime.[21]
Games PlayedMinutesWinsLossesShutoutsGoals AgainstSaves Shots on GoalSave %Goals Against Average
5302:333201511412988.372.97

CWHL
= Indicates league leader
YearTeamGPMINGASVSWLTGAASO
2017–18Kunlun Red Star2011593152016301.606

[22]

Awards and honors

IIHF Women's World Championship Directorate awards

WCHA honors
  • WCHA Defensive Player of the Week (week of 19 October 2009)[26]
  • WCHA Rookie of the Week (week of 26 October 2009)[27]
  • WCHA Defensive Player of the Week (week of 30 November 2009)[28]
  • WCHA Co-Defensive Player of the Week (week of 7 December 2009)[29]
  • WCHA Defensive Player of the Week (week of 25 January 2010)[30]
  • 2010 WCHA Goaltending Champion[4]
  • 2010 All-WCHA First Team[4]
  • 2010 WCHA All-Rookie Team[4]
  • 2010 Golden Goldy Award as the University of Minnesota's Female Rookie of the Year[31]
  • WCHA Defensive Player of the Week (Week of 27 October 2010)
  • 2011 All-WCHA First Team[32]
  • WCHA Defensive Player of the Week (Week of 8 November 2011)[33]
  • WCHA Co-Defensive Player of the Week (Week of 25 October 2012)[34]

NCAA honors

CWHL
  • 2018 Goaltender of the Year

Russian Women's Hockey League

References
  1. "Board Members". PWHPA. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
  2. "Syracuse (SYR) at Minnesota (MIN)". Collegehockeystats.net. 4 October 2009. Retrieved 31 January 2013.
  3. "Minnesota Golden Gophers (Women) 2009–2010 Team Statistics". Collegehockeystats.net. Retrieved 31 January 2013.
  4. Schleper Named WCHA Defensive Player of the Year (3/4/2010)
  5. Räty Named WCHA Defensive Player of the Week (27 January 2010)
  6. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 11 June 2011. Retrieved 3 June 2011.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  8. "Räty sets two records as Gophers advance in playoffs". Archived from the original on 6 March 2013. Retrieved 24 March 2013.
  9. "Men's hockey team signs female goalie". Yle. Retrieved 10 March 2014.
  10. http://yle.fi/uutiset/raty_makes_historybut_could_do_with_fewer_phone_calls/7548537
  11. "Game #: 10 – Saturday, October 28, 2017". CWHL. 28 October 2017. Retrieved 3 August 2018.
  12. Kevin McGran (25 March 2018). "Laura Stacey's overtime winner gives Markham its first Clarkson Cup". Toronto Star. Retrieved 3 August 2018.
  13. "Game # 0 – Sunday, March 25, 2018". CWHL. 25 March 2018. Retrieved 3 August 2018.
  14. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 14 April 2009. Retrieved 21 January 2010.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  15. "Canada's National Women's Development Team Claims Silver at Nations Cup". Hockey Canada. 7 January 2017. Retrieved 15 February 2017.
  16. Jay, Michelle (23 July 2019). "PWHPA solidifies leadership group, plans for future". The Ice Garden. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
  17. Aykroyd, Lucas (15 July 2019). "Noora Raty gears up for her next challenge in women's hockey | Women's Hockey Life". womenshockeylife.com. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
  18. "Noora Räty meni kihloihin jenkkirakkaansa kanssa – julkaisi kuvan timanttisormuksesta" (in Finnish). Me Naiset. 5 June 2019. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
  19. "Karel Popper - Women's Hockey Coach". gophersports.com. University of Minnesota Athletics. 2019. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
  20. Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Noora Räty". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 3 December 2016. Retrieved 31 January 2013.
  21. "Finland Beats Swedes in Overtime for Bronze". Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics. Retrieved 31 January 2013.
  22. "Noora Raty". CWHL. n.d. Retrieved 3 August 2018.
  23. Collins gem Hockey Facts and Stats 2009–10, p. 546, Andrew Podnieks, Harper Collins Publishers Ltd, Toronto, Canada, ISBN 978-1-55468-621-6.
  24. "Tomcikova named MVP". Iihf.com. 25 April 2011. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 31 January 2013.
  25. "Decker Named MVP". Iihf.com. 8 April 2017. Retrieved 3 May 2017./
  26. http://www.wcha.com/sports/w-hockey/spec-rel/102109aaa.html. Retrieved 21 October 2009. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  30. http://www.wcha.com/sports/w-hockey/spec-rel/012710aaa.html. Retrieved 30 January 2010. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  31. "Raty and Schleper Earn Department Honors". Minnesota Golden Gophers. 26 April 2010. Retrieved 25 June 2010.
  32. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 11 July 2011. Retrieved 6 March 2011.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  33. http://www.wcha.com/women/pres1112/201111/nov9wpw.pdf
  34. "MSU's McCann, UND's Dagfinrud, UM's Räty & Brandt Named WCHA Women's Players of the Week". WCHA.com. 24 October 2012. Retrieved 31 January 2013.
  35. "Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award Recipients". USA Hockey. Retrieved 6 November 2015.
  36. "Eight WCHA Players Among Nominees for 2011 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award". WCHA.com. 21 February 2011. Retrieved 31 January 2013.
  37. "Women's Division I Old Time Hockey All-Americans Announced". American Hockey Coaches Association. 17 March 2011. Archived from the original on 14 March 2012. Retrieved 31 January 2013.
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