Finland enters the new 2022 Olympic women’s hockey event once the protecting bronze medalists out of both the 2018 Winter months Game during the Southern Korea and the 2021 IIHF Freeze Hockey Women’s Community Title in the Canada. Sounds quite quick, correct? But there’s a whole lot more here than simply match the attention into Nordic nation one to consist 3rd in the IIHF Women’s Globe Ranks.
This can be a group inside transition significantly less than Pasi Mustonen, who’ll act as direct coach during the his 2nd and you will last Olympics. Youth try front and you can heart. This new Beijing lineup, established towards 20 January, possess a massive thirteen Olympic earliest-timers, together with seven skaters created adopting the year 2000.
It is rather similar to the group one to hit the ice from inside the Calgary within the August, although exception to this rule out of goalie Noora Raty – a four-date Olympian just who backstopped Finland to tan both in 2010 and you may 2018 and a most likely future IIHF Hall-of-famer – qualifies while the good shocker.
Raty, thirty two, clashed with Mustonen in public this past year whenever she chose to perform this lady hockey school when you look at the Minnesota unlike join the Ladies Planets team. However, the fresh new tenacious and you will competent veteran starred to possess HPK Hameenlinna in 2010, is actually acceptance for the Olympic education go camping, together with currently provided to rejoin the fresh Russian Women’s Hockey League’s KRS Vanke Rays just after Beijing.
Mustonen, even in the event, can justify his debatable decision because of the pointing so you can Anni Keisala’s high efficiency when you look at the Calgary. New 24-year-old Ilves netminder – a positionally voice, cool battler – is named Top Goalie and you can a competition all the-superstar on Women’s Worlds (1.43 GAA, 94.8 help save fee, a couple shutouts). Meeri Raisanen, thirty two, will bring a good choice, while the veteran of 5 Women’s Planets don’t gamble from the her two prior Olympics (2014, 2018).
The new mil-money question is whether either Keisala or Raisanen can perform replicating brand new miracle Raty showed on records-and also make cost this new silver medal in the 2019 Ladies’ Planets into the Espoo. Around, Raty produced 43 saves in the a beneficial cuatro-2 partial-final troubled more than Canada and another fifty preserves in the controversial 2-1 silver-medal shootout loss towards Americans.
Into the Beijing, 26-year-old Eveliina Makinen (nee Suonpaa), whom, eg Raisanen, sat into sidelines at the the 2014 and you may 2018 Games, nabs the 3rd goalie room. She replaces Jenna Silvonen, the new 23-year-dated Mercyhurst College netminder whom saw in the Calgary.
Captain Jenni Hiirikoski headlines the fresh new Finnish blueline. Called Ideal Defender from the history a couple of Olympics and you may 7 Ladies’ Worlds, the swift-skating 34-year-old movie star takes on in virtually any condition. Hiirikoski averaged an event-most of freeze amount of time in Calgary. Almost every other key most of the-to blueliners include Hiirikoski’s robust Lulea HF teammate Ronja Savolainen and you can Minttu Tuominen, who can register Raty and pass Susanna Tapani into the Vanke Rays immediately after Beijing.
Stunning finnish lady
A significant blueline omission try 33-year-dated Rosa Lindstedt, a around three-time Olympian which captains Brynas Gavle but was slowed down hot egyptian girl of the wounds this season. You to places the fresh onus towards about three young Kiekko-Espoo defenders to send next-level one or two-means shows.
Nelli Laitinen (12+34=46) and you will Sanni Rantala (14+30=44), one another 19, score step 1-2 in rating certainly one of Naisten Liiga defenders, if you are Ella Viitasuo, 25, (16+24=40) is actually third. That it Olympics scratching Rantala’s elder-peak IIHF debut. This trio’s capability to endure brand new forechecking of your own United states superpowers was pivotal.
Offensively, there’s absolutely no matter the major send collection of Petra Nieminen, Susanna Tapani, and Michelle Karvinen have a tendency to direct the way.
Brand new explosive Nieminen, twenty two, added the brand new Ladies’ Worlds having half a dozen requires en route in order to an enthusiastic all-celebrity group berth. Brand new Lulea winger are next during the SDHL scoring (24+28=52) trailing Brynas Gavle’s Swiss celebrity Lara Stalder. Tapani – a skilled runner just who including reigns over around the globe within the inline hockey and you can ringette – commonly aim together playmaking event to get more needs away away from Karvinen, an other seasoned who cracked in half dozen assists but failed to light new red light in the 2021 Ladies’ Worlds.
Karvinen, 31, are typing their fourth Olympics and you can led the new 2014 tournament from inside the Sochi having four desires. Brand new Danish-Finnish strength give has filled the internet inside the ten games with Malmo Redhawks (26+21=47) on the Swedish first office this present year.
Following, the new margin anywhere between profit and overcome facing Canada and the U.S. will hinge about far secondary scoring Mustonen will get. Within the Calgary, the Canadians rallied to beat Finland 5-3 throughout the opener, as the U.S. blanked Finland 3-0 both in the group stage and also the partial-finals.
Kiekko-Espoo’s Elisa Holopainen (38+46=84), bidding so you can win the girl 3rd upright Naisten Liiga scoring name, got the lady solitary Ladies’ Globes objective up against Canada. Gritty Lulea submit Viivi Vainikka’s just mission is the final that inside a great 6-0 romp more Switzerland. Lulea veteran Noora Tulus, a four-time Swedish champion, enjoys lay another type of individual community SDHL full of needs so it 12 months (18), but has not scored from inside the IIHF race once the 2017 Women’s Globes. A few of these ahead have to produce a lot more into the Beijing.
Rating of precocious sixteen-year-old Sanni Vanhanen, exactly who potted the new step one-0 quarter-last champion facing Czechia inside the Calgary, might be a pleasant added bonus. This new Finns can also anticipate speed and you may a great checking from the likes out of Olympic debutante Sofianna Sundelin and you will next-timer Sanni Hakala.
The new Finns have certainly broke up themselves away from Group A competitors including the newest ROC group and you will Switzerland. The new Russians last-made an IIHF podium to the 2016 Ladies Globes tan medal, given that Swiss haven’t acquired any material due to the fact stunning 2014 Olympic tan medal for the Sochi. It is possible that Czechia, with pressed Finland hard in two consecutive Ladies Globes quarter-finals now, could possibly get pose the greatest counterthreat for third lay.
To possess Mustonen’s team, one thing lower than profitable the country’s fourth Olympic tan medal off all-time in the Beijing could well be a major frustration. Yet , making the Olympic finally for the first time of them all appears to be a long shot. In any event, it’ll be another important step-in brand new Finnish national team’s maturation processes.
Roster
Defenders Jenni Hiirikoski, Lulea HF (SWE) Sini Karjalainen, College or university regarding North carolina (NCAA) Nelli Laitinen, Kiekko-Espoo Sanni Rantala, Kiekko-Espoo Ronja Savolainen, Lulea Gavle (SWE) Minnamari Tuominen, Kiekko-Espoo Ella Viitasuo, Kiekko-Espoo
Forwards 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. Affect Condition (NCAA) Sofianna Sundelin, Cluster Kuortane Susanna Tapani, KRS Vanke Rays (CHN/RUS) Noora Tulus, Lulea HF (SWE) Viivi Vainikka, Lulea HF (SWE) Sanni Vanhanen, Tappara Tampere Emilia Vesa, Kiekko-Espoo