Finland women's national ice hockey team

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]

Finnish national women's ice hockey team at the Women's Air Canada Cup 2008 in Ravensburg, Germany.
Finland against Russia in 2015 world championships

Finland
Shirt badge/Association crest
Nickname(s)Naisleijonat ('Lady Lions')
AssociationFinnish Ice Hockey Association
Head coachJuuso Touvila
AssistantsSaara Niemi
Mikko Palsola
CaptainJenni Hiirikoski
Most gamesKaroliina Rantamäki (431)
Top scorerRiikka Sallinen (138)
Most pointsRiikka Sallinen (351)
Team colors   
IIHF codeFIN
Ranking
Current IIHF4 Decrease 1 (28 August 2023)[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
Appearances24 (first in 1990)
Best result Silver: (2019)
European Championships
Appearances5 (first in 1989)
Best result Gold: (1989, 1991, 1993, 1995)
Olympics
Appearances7 (first in 1998)
Medals Bronze (1998, 2010, 2018, 2022)
International record (W–L–T)
356–251–13
Finland women's national ice hockey team
Medal record
Olympic Games
Bronze medal – third place1998 NaganoTeam
Bronze medal – third place2010 VancouverTeam
Bronze medal – third place2018 PyeongchangTeam
Bronze medal – third place2022 BeijingTeam
World Championships
Silver medal – second place2019 Finland
Bronze medal – third place1990 Canada
Bronze medal – third place1992 Finland
Bronze medal – third place1994 United States
Bronze medal – third place1997 Canada
Bronze medal – third place1999 Finland
Bronze medal – third place2000 Canada
Bronze medal – third place2004 Canada
Bronze medal – third place2008 China
Bronze medal – third place2009 Finland
Bronze medal – third place2011 Switzerland
Bronze medal – third place2015 Sweden
Bronze medal – third place2017 United States
Bronze medal – third place2021 Canada
Bronze medal – third place2024 United States
European Championships
Gold medal – first place1989 West Germany
Gold medal – first place1991 Czechoslovakia
Gold medal – first place1993 Denmark
Gold medal – first place1995 Latvia
Bronze medal – third place1996 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). 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
GamesFinish
Japan 1998 Nagano Bronze
United States 2002 Salt Lake City4th
Italy 2006 Turin4th
Canada 2010 Vancouver Bronze
Russia 2014 Sochi5th
South Korea 2018 Pyeongchang Bronze
China 2022 Beijing Bronze
Italy 2026 Milan / Cortina

World Championships

Breaks indicate Olympic years.

YearLocationResult
Canada 1990Ottawa Bronze
Finland 1992Tampere Bronze
United States 1994Lake Placid Bronze
Canada 1997Ontario Bronze
Finland 1999Espoo Bronze
Canada 2000Ontario Bronze
United States 2001Minnesota4th
China 2003BeijingCancelled
Canada 2004Halifax and Dartmouth Bronze
Sweden 2005Linköping and Norrköping4th
Canada 2007Winnipeg and Selkirk4th
China 2008Harbin Bronze
Finland 2009Hämeenlinna Bronze
Switzerland 2011Zürich Bronze
United States 2012Burlington4th
Canada 2013Ottawa4th
Sweden 2015Malmö Bronze
Canada 2016Kamloops4th
United States 2017Plymouth Bronze
Finland 2019Espoo Silver
Canada 2020Halifax and TruroCancelled[4]
Canada 2021Calgary Bronze
Denmark 2022Frederikshavn and Herning6th
Canada 2023Brampton5th
United States 2024Utica, New York Bronze
Czech Republic 2025České Budějovice

European Championship
YearLocationResult
West Germany 1989Füssen, Landsberg am Lech and Kaufbeuren Gold
Czechoslovakia 1991Frýdek-Místek, Havířov Gold
Denmark 1993Esbjerg Gold
Latvia 1995Riga Gold
Russia 1996Yaroslavl 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

Roster for the 2024 IIHF Women's World Championship.[5][6]

Head coach: Juuso Toivola

No. Pos. Name Height Weight Birthdate Team
1GSanni Ahola1.71 m (5 ft 7 in)81 kg (179 lb) (2000-06-03) 3 June 2000United States St. Cloud State Huskies
5DSiiri Yrjölä1.66 m (5 ft 5 in)68 kg (150 lb) (2004-09-08) 8 September 2004Finland HIFK Helsinki
6DJenni Hiirikoski – C1.62 m (5 ft 4 in)62 kg (137 lb) (1987-03-30) 30 March 1987Sweden Luleå HF
7DSanni Rantala1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)63 kg (139 lb) (2002-07-08) 8 July 2002Finland KalPa Kuopio
8DEve Savander1.68 m (5 ft 6 in)68 kg (150 lb) (1998-09-02) 2 September 1998Sweden MoDo Hockey
9DNelli Laitinen1.69 m (5 ft 7 in)62 kg (137 lb) (2002-04-29) 29 April 2002United States Minnesota Golden Gophers
10FElisa Holopainen1.66 m (5 ft 5 in)58 kg (128 lb) (2001-12-27) 27 December 2001Finland KalPa Kuopio
12FSanni Vanhanen1.68 m (5 ft 6 in)62 kg (137 lb) (2005-07-01) 1 July 2005Finland HIFK Helsinki
14DKrista Parkkonen1.68 m (5 ft 6 in)64 kg (141 lb) (2002-06-25) 25 June 2002United States Vermont Catamounts
16FPetra Nieminen1.69 m (5 ft 7 in)70 kg (150 lb) (1999-05-04) 4 May 1999Sweden Luleå HF
20FAnna-Kaisa Antti-Roiko1.68 m (5 ft 6 in)62 kg (137 lb) (2004-05-21) 21 May 2004Finland Kärpät Oulu
22FJulia Schalin1.60 m (5 ft 3 in)60 kg (130 lb) (2005-08-31) 31 August 2005Finland Kiekko-Espoo
24FViivi Vainikka1.66 m (5 ft 5 in)67 kg (148 lb) (2001-12-23) 23 December 2001Sweden Luleå HF
28FJenniina Nylund1.71 m (5 ft 7 in)63 kg (139 lb) (1999-06-18) 18 June 1999Sweden Brynäs IF
31GTiia Pajarinen1.65 m (5 ft 5 in)69 kg (152 lb) (1998-04-17) 17 April 1998Finland Kiekko-Espoo
32FEmilia Vesa1.77 m (5 ft 10 in)66 kg (146 lb) (2001-01-03) 3 January 2001Sweden Frölunda HC
33FMichelle Karvinen – A1.67 m (5 ft 6 in)65 kg (143 lb) (1990-03-27) 27 March 1990Sweden Frölunda HC
34FSofianna Sundelin1.69 m (5 ft 7 in)57 kg (126 lb) (2003-01-13) 13 January 2003United States St. Cloud State Huskies
36GAnni Keisala1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)80 kg (180 lb) (1997-04-05) 5 April 1997Sweden HV71
40FNoora Tulus – A1.65 m (5 ft 5 in)62 kg (137 lb) (1995-08-15) 15 August 1995Sweden Luleå HF
77FSusanna Tapani1.77 m (5 ft 10 in)68 kg (150 lb) (1993-03-02) 2 March 1993United States PWHL Boston
88DRonja Savolainen1.77 m (5 ft 10 in)76 kg (168 lb) (1997-11-29) 29 November 1997Sweden Luleå HF
91FJulia Liikala1.66 m (5 ft 5 in)64 kg (141 lb) (2001-03-20) 20 March 2001Finland HIFK Helsinki

Awards and honors

Directorate awards
  • Best Goalie
  • Best Defenceman
  • Best Forward
    • Katja Riipi: 2000
    • Riikka Nieminen: 1990, 1994
  • Most Valuable Player
    • Noora Räty: 2008[7]
    • Jenni Hiirikoski: 2019

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)
  • 2024: Sanni Ahola (G)

See also
  • 2009–10 Finland women's national ice hockey team
  • Finland women's national under-18 ice hockey team
  • Women's ice hockey in Finland

References
  1. "IIHF Women's World Ranking". IIHF. 28 August 2023. Retrieved 28 August 2023.
  2. "IIHF Member National Association: Finland". IIHF. Retrieved 26 June 2019.
  3. "Statement from IIHF". IIHF. 15 April 2019. Retrieved 7 July 2019.
  4. Merk, Martin (7 March 2020). "Women's Worlds cancelled". IIHF. Retrieved 19 March 2021.
  5. "Naisleijonat MM-kisoihin tällä joukkueella". Finnish Ice Hockey Association (in Finnish). 11 March 2024. Retrieved 11 March 2024.
  6. "Team roster: Finland" (PDF). iihf.com. 2 April 2024. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
  7. Podnieks, Andrew (2009). Hockey Facts and Stats 2009–10. Toronto: HarperCollins. p. 546. ISBN 9781554686216.
  8. Collins gem Hockey Facts and Stats 2009–10, p.542, Andrew Podnieks, Harper Collins Publishers Ltd, Toronto, Canada, ISBN 978-1-55468-621-6
  9. "Awards" (PDF). IIHF. Archived (PDF) from the original on 18 January 2018. Retrieved 30 December 2017.
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