# 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.

## 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.

## Tournament record
### Olympic Games

| Games | Finish |
| 1998 Nagano | Bronze |
| 2002 Salt Lake City | 4th |
| 2006 Turin | 4th |
| 2010 Vancouver | Bronze |
| 2014 Sochi | 5th |
| 2018 Pyeongchang | Bronze |
| 2022 Beijing | Bronze |
| 2026 Milan / Cortina | |

### World Championships

Breaks indicate Olympic years.
| Year | Location | Result |
| 1990 | Ottawa | Bronze |
| 1992 | Tampere | Bronze |
| 1994 | Lake Placid | Bronze |
| 1997 | Ontario | Bronze |
| 1999 | Espoo | Bronze |
| 2000 | Ontario | Bronze |
| 2001 | Minnesota | 4th |
| 2003 | Beijing | Cancelled |
| 2004 | Halifax and Dartmouth | Bronze |
| 2005 | Linköping and Norrköping | 4th |
| 2007 | Winnipeg and Selkirk | 4th |
| 2008 | Harbin | Bronze |
| 2009 | Hämeenlinna | Bronze |
| 2011 | Zürich | Bronze |
| 2012 | Burlington | 4th |
| 2013 | Ottawa | 4th |
| 2015 | Malmö | Bronze |
| 2016 | Kamloops | 4th |
| 2017 | Plymouth | Bronze |
| 2019 | Espoo | Silver |
| 2020 | Halifax and Truro | Cancelled |
| 2021 | Calgary | Bronze |
| 2022 | Frederikshavn and Herning | 6th |
| 2023 | Brampton | 5th |
| 2024 | Utica, New York | Bronze |
| 2025 | České Budějovice | |

### European Championship

| Year | Location | Result |
| 1989 | Füssen, Landsberg am Lech and Kaufbeuren | Gold |
| 1991 | Frýdek-Místek, Havířov | Gold |
| 1993 | Esbjerg | Gold |
| 1995 | Riga | Gold |
| 1996 | Yaroslavl | 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.
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) | 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) | 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) | 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) | 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) | 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) | 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) | 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) | 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) | 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) | 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) | 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) | 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) | 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) | 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) | 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) | 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) | 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) | 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) | 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) | 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) | 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) | 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) | HIFK Helsinki |

## Awards and honors
### World Championship
#### Directorate awards

* Best Goalie
** Noora Räty: 2007, 2008, 2011, 2017, 2019
** Anni Keisala: 2021
* Best Defenceman
** Kirsi Hänninen: 1999
** Jenni Hiirikoski: 2009, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019
* Best Forward
** Katja Riipi: 2000
** Riikka Nieminen: 1990, 1994
* Most Valuable Player
** Noora Räty: 2008
** 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)