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Finland women's national ice hockey team

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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)
Olympics
Appearances7 (first in 1998)
Medals Bronze (1998, 2010, 2018, 2022)
World Championships
Appearances24 (first in 1990)
Best result Silver: (2019)
European Championships
Appearances5 (first in 1989)
Best result Gold: (1989, 1991, 1993, 1995)
International record (W–L–T)
356–251–13
Finland women's national ice hockey team
Medal record
Olympic Games
Bronze medal – third place 1998 Nagano Team
Bronze medal – third place 2010 Vancouver Team
Bronze medal – third place 2018 Pyeongchang Team
Bronze medal – third place 2022 Beijing Team
World Championships
Silver medal – second place 2019 Finland
Bronze medal – third place 1990 Canada
Bronze medal – third place 1992 Finland
Bronze medal – third place 1994 United States
Bronze medal – third place 1997 Canada
Bronze medal – third place 1999 Finland
Bronze medal – third place 2000 Canada
Bronze medal – third place 2004 Canada
Bronze medal – third place 2008 China
Bronze medal – third place 2009 Finland
Bronze medal – third place 2011 Switzerland
Bronze medal – third place 2015 Sweden
Bronze medal – third place 2017 United States
Bronze medal – third place 2021 Canada
Bronze medal – third place 2024 United States
European Championships
Gold medal – first place 1989 West Germany
Gold medal – first place 1991 Czechoslovakia
Gold medal – first place 1993 Denmark
Gold medal – first place 1995 Latvia
Bronze medal – third place 1996 Russia

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

History

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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

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Olympic Games

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Games Finish
Japan 1998 Nagano  Bronze
United States 2002 Salt Lake City 4th
Italy 2006 Turin 4th
Canada 2010 Vancouver  Bronze
Russia 2014 Sochi 5th
South Korea 2018 Pyeongchang  Bronze
China 2022 Beijing  Bronze
Italy 2026 Milan / Cortina

World Championships

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Breaks indicate Olympic years.

Year Location Result
Canada 1990 Ottawa  Bronze
Finland 1992 Tampere  Bronze
United States 1994 Lake Placid  Bronze
Canada 1997 Ontario  Bronze
Finland 1999 Espoo  Bronze
Canada 2000 Ontario  Bronze
United States 2001 Minnesota 4th
China 2003 Beijing Cancelled
Canada 2004 Halifax and Dartmouth  Bronze
Sweden 2005 Linköping and Norrköping 4th
Canada 2007 Winnipeg and Selkirk 4th
China 2008 Harbin  Bronze
Finland 2009 Hämeenlinna  Bronze
Switzerland 2011 Zürich  Bronze
United States 2012 Burlington 4th
Canada 2013 Ottawa 4th
Sweden 2015 Malmö  Bronze
Canada 2016 Kamloops 4th
United States 2017 Plymouth  Bronze
Finland 2019 Espoo  Silver
Canada 2020 Halifax and Truro Cancelled[4]
Canada 2021 Calgary  Bronze
Denmark 2022 Frederikshavn and Herning 6th
Canada 2023 Brampton 5th
United States 2024 Utica, New York  Bronze
Czech Republic 2025 České Budějovice

European Championship

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Year Location Result
West Germany 1989 Füssen, Landsberg am Lech and Kaufbeuren  Gold
Czechoslovakia 1991 Frýdek-Místek, Havířov  Gold
Denmark 1993 Esbjerg  Gold
Latvia 1995 Riga  Gold
Russia 1996 Yaroslavl  Bronze

3/4 Nations Cup

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  • 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

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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

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  • 2009 Canada Cup – Won Bronze Medal

Current roster

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

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

Head coach: Juuso Toivola

No. Pos. Name Height Weight Birthdate Team
1 G Sanni Ahola 1.71 m (5 ft 7 in) 81 kg (179 lb) (2000-06-03) 3 June 2000 (age 24) United States St. Cloud State Huskies
5 D Siiri Yrjölä 1.66 m (5 ft 5 in) 68 kg (150 lb) (2004-09-08) 8 September 2004 (age 20) Finland HIFK Helsinki
6 D Jenni Hiirikoski – C 1.62 m (5 ft 4 in) 62 kg (137 lb) (1987-03-30) 30 March 1987 (age 37) Sweden Luleå HF
7 D Sanni Rantala 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in) 63 kg (139 lb) (2002-07-08) 8 July 2002 (age 22) Finland KalPa Kuopio
8 D Eve Savander 1.68 m (5 ft 6 in) 68 kg (150 lb) (1998-09-02) 2 September 1998 (age 26) Sweden MoDo Hockey
9 D Nelli Laitinen 1.69 m (5 ft 7 in) 62 kg (137 lb) (2002-04-29) 29 April 2002 (age 22) United States Minnesota Golden Gophers
10 F Elisa Holopainen 1.66 m (5 ft 5 in) 58 kg (128 lb) (2001-12-27) 27 December 2001 (age 22) Finland KalPa Kuopio
12 F Sanni Vanhanen 1.68 m (5 ft 6 in) 62 kg (137 lb) (2005-07-01) 1 July 2005 (age 19) Finland HIFK Helsinki
14 D Krista Parkkonen 1.68 m (5 ft 6 in) 64 kg (141 lb) (2002-06-25) 25 June 2002 (age 22) United States Vermont Catamounts
16 F Petra Nieminen 1.69 m (5 ft 7 in) 70 kg (150 lb) (1999-05-04) 4 May 1999 (age 25) Sweden Luleå HF
20 F Anna-Kaisa Antti-Roiko 1.68 m (5 ft 6 in) 62 kg (137 lb) (2004-05-21) 21 May 2004 (age 20) Finland Kärpät Oulu
22 F Julia Schalin 1.60 m (5 ft 3 in) 60 kg (130 lb) (2005-08-31) 31 August 2005 (age 19) Finland Kiekko-Espoo
24 F Viivi Vainikka 1.66 m (5 ft 5 in) 67 kg (148 lb) (2001-12-23) 23 December 2001 (age 22) Sweden Luleå HF
28 F Jenniina Nylund 1.71 m (5 ft 7 in) 63 kg (139 lb) (1999-06-18) 18 June 1999 (age 25) Sweden Brynäs IF
31 G Tiia Pajarinen 1.65 m (5 ft 5 in) 69 kg (152 lb) (1998-04-17) 17 April 1998 (age 26) Finland Kiekko-Espoo
32 F Emilia Vesa 1.77 m (5 ft 10 in) 66 kg (146 lb) (2001-01-03) 3 January 2001 (age 23) Sweden Frölunda HC
33 F Michelle Karvinen – A 1.67 m (5 ft 6 in) 65 kg (143 lb) (1990-03-27) 27 March 1990 (age 34) Sweden Frölunda HC
34 F Sofianna Sundelin 1.69 m (5 ft 7 in) 57 kg (126 lb) (2003-01-13) 13 January 2003 (age 21) United States St. Cloud State Huskies
36 G Anni Keisala 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) 80 kg (180 lb) (1997-04-05) 5 April 1997 (age 27) Sweden HV71
40 F Noora Tulus – A 1.65 m (5 ft 5 in) 62 kg (137 lb) (1995-08-15) 15 August 1995 (age 29) Sweden Luleå HF
77 F Susanna Tapani 1.77 m (5 ft 10 in) 68 kg (150 lb) (1993-03-02) 2 March 1993 (age 31) United States PWHL Boston
88 D Ronja Savolainen 1.77 m (5 ft 10 in) 76 kg (168 lb) (1997-11-29) 29 November 1997 (age 26) Sweden Luleå HF
91 F Julia Liikala 1.66 m (5 ft 5 in) 64 kg (141 lb) (2001-03-20) 20 March 2001 (age 23) Finland HIFK Helsinki

Awards and honors

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World Championship

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Directorate awards

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All-Star teams

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See also

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References

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  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. ^ a b 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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