Finland comes into the 2022 Olympic women’s hockey competition once the protecting tan medalists off both the 2018 Cold weather Video game inside the Southern Korea therefore the 2021 IIHF Ice Hockey Ladies Business Title inside the Canada. Musical pretty straightforward, proper? But there is however more right here than simply match the interest into the Nordic nation one to sits third on IIHF Ladies’ Globe Ranking.
This can be a group from inside the change less than Pasi Mustonen, who can act as head mentor within his second and you may past Olympics. Young people try front and you can centre. The newest Beijing lineup, announced towards 20 January, provides a massive thirteen Olympic first-timers, also 7 skaters created adopting the year 2000.
It’s very just as the squad one hit the freeze in Calgary in August, but the exemption away from goalie Noora Raty – a several-big date Olympian just who backstopped Finland so you’re able to tan in 2010 and you will 2018 and a probably future IIHF Hall of famer – qualifies due to the fact an excellent shocker.
Raty, thirty-two, clashed with Mustonen in public places last year whenever she elected to run the lady hockey university during the Minnesota as opposed to get in on the Women’s Worlds party. Nonetheless, the fresh tenacious and you will skilled veteran starred having HPK Hameenlinna this season, is actually anticipate on Olympic education go camping, along with already provided to rejoin the new Russian Women’s Hockey League’s KRS Vanke Radiation shortly after Beijing.
Mustonen, whether or not, can justify their controversial decision because of the leading to Anni Keisala’s higher show inside the Calgary. New twenty-four-year-dated Ilves netminder – a great positionally voice, cool battler – is actually entitled Better Goalie and you will a contest all of the-celebrity within Women’s Worlds (1.43 GAA, 94.8 save commission, several shutouts). Meeri Raisanen, 32, will bring a capable solution, although the seasoned of five Ladies’ Worlds don’t enjoy within her a couple of prior Olympics (2014, 2018).
The brand new billion-dollar real question is whether or not sometimes Keisala otherwise Raisanen is capable of replicating the fresh new miracle Raty showed from the history-making run to the fresh gold medal at the 2019 Ladies’ Planets into the Espoo. Here, Raty produced 43 preserves from inside the a cuatro-dos partial-latest upset over Canada and something fifty conserves on debatable 2-1 gold-medal shootout losings toward People in america.
Inside Beijing, 26-year-old Eveliina Makinen (nee Suonpaa), just who, instance Raisanen, seated for the sidelines at both 2014 and you will 2018 Games, nabs the next goalie room. She substitute Jenna Silvonen, brand new 23-year-old Mercyhurst University netminder whom saw for the Calgary.
Captain Jenni Hiirikoski headlines the Finnish blueline. Titled Top Defender at the past a few Olympics and you may eight Ladies Globes, the latest quick-skating 34-year-old movie star takes on in any state. Hiirikoski averaged a competition-a lot of freeze amount of time in Calgary. Most other key all-around blueliners become Hiirikoski’s sturdy Lulea HF teammate Ronja Savolainen and you can Minttu Tuominen, who can sign-up Raty and you can pass Susanna Tapani into Vanke Radiation just after Beijing.
Stunning finnish people
A significant blueline omission try 33-year-old Rosa Lindstedt, a great three-big date Olympian who captains Brynas Gavle however, is actually slowed down by injuries this current year. You to places the brand new onus towards around three more youthful Kiekko-Espoo defenders to deliver second-top a couple of-ways shows.
Nelli Laitinen (12+34=46) and Sanni Rantala (14+30=44), both 19, review 1-2 in rating certainly one of Naisten Liiga defenders, if you are Ella Viitasuo, twenty-five, (16+24=40) is actually third. So it Olympics scratches Rantala’s senior-height IIHF introduction. It trio’s capacity to stand up to the brand new forechecking of your United states superpowers might be crucial.
Offensively, there isn’t any concern the major give collection of Petra Nieminen, Susanna Tapani, and Michelle Karvinen will lead how.
The new explosive Nieminen, twenty-two, led the newest Women’s Worlds with six wants on the way to help you a keen all-superstar people http://www.datingmentor.org/tr/yasa-gore-tarihleme berth. Brand new Lulea winger try 2nd in SDHL scoring (24+28=52) trailing Brynas Gavle’s Swiss superstar Lara Stalder. Tapani – a talented athlete exactly who and additionally dominates around the globe from inside the inline hockey and you will ringette – commonly point together with her playmaking skills for lots more requirements out out of Karvinen, a fellow experienced who broken for the half a dozen support however, didn’t white the brand new red-light from the 2021 Ladies Planets.
Karvinen, 31, is actually typing the lady last Olympics and you will led the 2014 tournament in Sochi which have four requires. The new Danish-Finnish power submit features occupied the web inside 10 online game with Malmo Redhawks (26+21=47) on the Swedish basic office this present year.
Up coming, the newest margin ranging from victory and beat up against Canada additionally the U.S. might count on how much second rating Mustonen gets. When you look at the Calgary, the newest Canadians rallied to conquer Finland 5-step 3 on the opener, once the You.S. blanked Finland 3-0 in both the group phase and semi-finals.
Kiekko-Espoo’s Elisa Holopainen (38+46=84), putting in a bid to profit the lady third straight Naisten Liiga rating term, had the girl lone Ladies Worlds purpose against Canada. Gritty Lulea send Viivi Vainikka’s only purpose are the very last you to definitely into the an effective 6-0 romp more than Switzerland. Lulea experienced Noora Tulus, a several-go out Swedish champ, provides lay a different individual occupation SDHL chock-full of requirements it seasons (18), but have not scored into the IIHF competition just like the 2017 Women’s Globes. Each one of these forward need certainly to write a lot more from inside the Beijing.
Scoring of precocious 16-year-old Sanni Vanhanen, just who potted new step 1-0 one-fourth-last winner up against Czechia inside the Calgary, will be an attractive bonus. Brand new Finns can also predict price and you can a good examining on wants from Olympic debutante Sofianna Sundelin and next-timekeeper Sanni Hakala.
The new Finns enjoys certainly broke up on their own away from Classification A rivals for example the ROC people and you may Switzerland. The latest Russians last made an enthusiastic IIHF podium on the 2016 Ladies Worlds bronze medal, once the Swiss have not obtained people metal because the surprising 2014 Olympic bronze medal during the Sochi. You are able one to Czechia, with forced Finland tough in two successive Ladies Worlds quarter-finals now, may angle the most significant counterthreat to own 3rd lay.
Getting Mustonen’s team, things less than profitable its state’s fourth Olympic bronze medal from all time for the Beijing could be a major frustration. Yet making the Olympic final the very first time of all time seems like a lengthy try. In either case, it would be another significant part of the Finnish national team’s maturation processes.
Roster
Defenders Jenni Hiirikoski, Lulea HF (SWE) Sini Karjalainen, School out of North carolina (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. Affect State (NCAA) Sofianna Sundelin, Party Kuortane Susanna Tapani, KRS Vanke Light (CHN/RUS) Noora Tulus, Lulea HF (SWE) Viivi Vainikka, Lulea HF (SWE) Sanni Vanhanen, Tappara Tampere Emilia Vesa, Kiekko-Espoo
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