Finland goes into the fresh new 2022 Olympic women’s hockey event because defending bronze medalists from the 2018 Cold temperatures Games for the South Korea and the 2021 IIHF Frost Hockey Ladies’ Industry Title in Canada. Music pretty quick, right? But there is significantly more here than simply meets the attention on the Nordic country you to is third on the IIHF Women’s World Ranks.
This will be a team from inside the change less than Pasi Mustonen, who’ll serve as head advisor at their next and you may last Olympics. Youngsters is actually front and you may center. The Beijing lineup, established on the 20 January, keeps a whopping thirteen Olympic earliest-timers, and additionally eight skaters created adopting the year 2000.
It is rather similar to the team you to definitely hit the freeze into the Calgary from inside the August, although different regarding goalie Noora Raty – a several-date Olympian just who backstopped Finland to help you bronze in 2010 and you can 2018 and you may a probably coming IIHF Hall of famer – qualifies since the a beneficial shocker.
Raty, thirty two, clashed that have Mustonen in public places a year ago whenever she decided to operate their hockey school in Minnesota in the place of join the Ladies’ Worlds group. However, the tenacious and you will competent seasoned played for HPK Hameenlinna this current year, are welcome toward Olympic education camp, along with already agreed to rejoin new Russian Women’s Hockey League’s KRS Vanke Light after Beijing.
Mustonen, even when, is also justify his questionable decision from the directing to help you Anni Keisala’s higher efficiency in the Calgary. New twenty four-year-dated Ilves netminder – good positionally voice, chill battler – was entitled Most readily useful Goalie and you will a competition the-celebrity during the Ladies’ Planets (step 1.43 GAA, 94.8 conserve commission, a couple shutouts). Meeri Raisanen, thirty two, provides a capable option, whilst the veteran of 5 Ladies Planets don’t play at the this lady one or two previous Olympics (2014, 2018).
This new billion-dollars question is whether possibly Keisala otherwise Raisanen is capable of replicating the newest wonders Raty shown on background-and also make run to the newest gold medal at the 2019 Ladies’ Globes in the Espoo. There, Raty made 43 conserves into the a cuatro-2 semi-finally distressed over Canada and one fifty saves from the controversial 2-1 silver-medal shootout losses into People in america.
In the Beijing, https://datingmentor.org/escort/yonkers/ 26-year-old Eveliina Makinen (nee Suonpaa), exactly who, particularly Raisanen, sat into sidelines on the 2014 and you may 2018 Video game, nabs the next goalie location. She substitute Jenna Silvonen, the fresh 23-year-old Mercyhurst College netminder which spotted from inside the Calgary.
Master Jenni Hiirikoski statements the fresh Finnish blueline. Titled Better Defender within past one or two Olympics and you may seven Ladies’ Worlds, the latest swift-skating 34-year-old movie star plays in virtually any condition. Hiirikoski averaged a contest-a lot of frost time in Calgary. Most other key all of the-to blueliners is Hiirikoski’s sturdy Lulea HF teammate Ronja Savolainen and you may Minttu Tuominen, who can signup Raty and you can give Susanna Tapani into the Vanke Light once Beijing.
Breathtaking finnish female
A distinguished blueline omission are 33-year-old Rosa Lindstedt, a good three-big date Olympian just who captains Brynas Gavle however, is actually slowed down because of the injuries this season. One to places the fresh new onus on the about three younger Kiekko-Espoo defenders to send next-level one or two-method performances.
Nelli Laitinen (12+34=46) and you can Sanni Rantala (14+30=44), both 19, rating step 1-2 inside the scoring certainly one of Naisten Liiga defenders, if you are Ella Viitasuo, twenty five, (16+24=40) are 3rd. This Olympics scratching Rantala’s senior-top IIHF first. So it trio’s capacity to resist brand new forechecking of your own United states superpowers would-be pivotal.
Offensively, there is no question the top forward collection of Petra Nieminen, Susanna Tapani, and Michelle Karvinen will lead ways.
The latest explosive Nieminen, twenty-two, led the latest Ladies Globes that have half a dozen wants en route so you can a keen all-celebrity group berth. The fresh new Lulea winger is 2nd when you look at the SDHL scoring (24+28=52) behind Brynas Gavle’s Swiss superstar Lara Stalder. Tapani – a gifted runner who plus dominates worldwide in inline hockey and you will ringette – usually aim together with her playmaking event for more goals away of Karvinen, an other seasoned which cracked in half a dozen assists however, don’t light the fresh red light at 2021 Ladies Globes.
Karvinen, 31, was entering this lady 4th Olympics and you can provided the fresh 2014 competition during the Sochi with four desires. This new Danish-Finnish electricity forward has occupied the net for the 10 video game which have Malmo Redhawks (26+21=47) throughout the Swedish very first division this year.
Upcoming, the fresh new margin ranging from winnings and you may beat up against Canada therefore the U.S. will depend about far secondary scoring Mustonen will get. Inside the Calgary, brand new Canadians rallied to beat Finland 5-3 regarding the opener, because You.S. blanked Finland step 3-0 in the group stage plus the semi-finals.
Kiekko-Espoo’s Elisa Holopainen (38+46=84), bidding so you can winnings the woman 3rd upright Naisten Liiga rating name, had the lady solitary Ladies Globes mission against Canada. Gritty Lulea pass Viivi Vainikka’s merely objective try the past one within the a beneficial 6-0 romp more Switzerland. Lulea experienced Noora Tulus, a four-time Swedish champion, have place a new private career SDHL chock-full of goals which 12 months (18), however, has never scored into the IIHF race once the 2017 Women’s Planets. Most of these forward have to produce a great deal more in Beijing.
Scoring out-of precocious sixteen-year-dated Sanni Vanhanen, whom potted the brand new 1-0 quarter-latest winner against Czechia for the Calgary, might possibly be a pleasant added bonus. The latest Finns may also assume rate and you can a good examining on the enjoys out-of Olympic debutante Sofianna Sundelin and next-timer Sanni Hakala.
The fresh Finns provides certainly broke up themselves out of Category A competitors eg the fresh new ROC people and you may Switzerland. The latest Russians last-made a keen IIHF podium for the 2016 Women’s Globes bronze medal, as Swiss have not obtained people metal because the surprising 2014 Olympic bronze medal for the Sochi. You’ll be able to one Czechia, that has pressed Finland hard in two consecutive Ladies Planets one-fourth-finals today, can get pose the most significant counterthreat to own 3rd lay.
To own Mustonen’s team, some thing less than winning the country’s fourth Olympic tan medal regarding in history for the Beijing was a major dissatisfaction. Yet deciding to make the Olympic finally for the first time of all time appears like an extended test. Regardless, it should be another significant step up the brand new Finnish national team’s maturation techniques.
Roster
Defenders Jenni Hiirikoski, Lulea HF (SWE) Sini Karjalainen, School out of New york (NCAA) Nelli Laitinen, Kiekko-Espoo Sanni Rantala, Kiekko-Espoo Ronja Savolainen, Lulea Gavle (SWE) Minnamari Tuominen, Kiekko-Espoo Ella Viitasuo, Kiekko-Espoo
Ahead Sanni Hakala, HV71 Jonkoping (SWE) Elisa Holopainen, Kiekko-Espoo Michelle Karvinen, Malmo Redhawks (SWE) Julia Liikala, HIFK Helsinki Petra Nieminen, Lulea HF (SWE) Tanja Niskanen, KalPa Kuopio Jenniina Nylund, St. Cloud State (NCAA) Sofianna Sundelin, Cluster Kuortane Susanna Tapani, KRS Vanke Radiation (CHN/RUS) Noora Tulus, Lulea HF (SWE) Viivi Vainikka, Lulea HF (SWE) Sanni Vanhanen, Tappara Tampere Emilia Vesa, Kiekko-Espoo