2021–22 Naisten Liiga season

The 2021–22 Naisten Liiga season is the thirty-ninth season of the Naisten Liiga, the premier level of women's ice hockey in Finland, since the league's establishment as the Naisten SM-sarja in 1982. The season began on 11 September 2021 and concluded on 20 March 2022.
== League business ==
=== Offseason ===
==== HPK Kiekkonaiset team transfer ====
In June 2021, it was announced that the HPK Kiekkonaiset team would be transferred to HPK Liiga Oy, owner of the Liiga team HPK and the U20 SM-sarja team HPK U20. HPK Kiekkonaiset had previously been a part of the HPK-affiliated junior club HPK Edustusjääkiekko Ry, a non-profit association. According to Antti Toivanen, CEO of HPK Liiga Oy and general manager of the HPK men's team, the move was motivated by an interest in capitalizing on the growing women's ice hockey market, which was highlighted by the record crowds that attended the 2019 IIHF Women's World Championship in Espoo. Jorma Hassinen, general manager of HPK Kiekkonaiset, expressed hope that the transfer would allow female players to develop with the same opportunities as their male counterparts.
==== Financial support for RoKi players ====
Rovaniemen Kiekko ry announced it would begin supporting RoKi Naiset ice hockey players selected to women’s national team camps and evaluation tournaments with grants of several hundred to a thousand euros. RoKi Naiset head coach Tuomas Liitola stated the club’s long-term goal is to reduce the cost of playing with RoKi Naiset to zero.
=== Coaching changes ===
Team 	2019–20 	2020–21 	Details
Off–season 	Off–season 	Off–season 	Off–season
HPK Kiekkonaiset 	Mari Saarinen 	Harri Nummela 	Appointed in May 2021, Nummela is the fourth HPK head coach in as many seasons. He has previously served as head coach of men's teams in the Suomi-sarja and 2. Divisioona.
Oulun Kärpät Naiset	Janne Salmela 	Samuli Hassi 	Hassi was appointed as the new Kärpät head coach in April 2021, replacing Salmela after two seasons at the helm. The 27 year old, originally from Oulu, spent the previous four seasons studying in Rovaniemi and coaching in the junior organization of Rovaniemen Kiekko (RoKi). He served as the head coach of RoKi U18 in the 2020–21 season of the men's U18 Mestis.
TPS Naiset 	Matti Tähkäpää, Kai Ortio	Terhi Mertanen	Ortio was promoted from assistant coach to head coach after Tähkäpää's contract was terminated with five games remaining in the 2020–21 regular season. Mertanen was named the 2021–22 head coach shortly thereafter, in March 2021. An Olympic medalist with the Finnish national team at the 2010 Winter Olympics, Mertanen spent the previous two seasons as an assistant coach of RoKi Naiset.
=== Player signings of note ===
Note: The following tables do not include all player movements made during the Naisten Liiga season but rather feature moves involving national team players or international players, extra-league moves, and player movements determined to be otherwise notable. 
Pre-season
Player 	Previous team 	2021–22 team 	ref.
Incoming players 	Incoming players 	Incoming players 	Incoming players
 	Neuchâtel HA (SWHL A) 	HPK 	
 	Norwich Cadets (NCAA D3)	HPK 	
 	Buffalo Beauts (PHF) 	HPK 	
 	ŽHK Zvolen (Slovakia) 	RoKi 	
 	KRS Vanke Rays (ZhHL) 	HPK 	
 	KRS Vanke Rays (ZhHL) 	HPK 	
 	KRS Vanke Rays (ZhHL) 	Kiekko-Espoo 	
 	HC 2001 Kladno 	RoKi 	
Intra-league transfers	Intra-league transfers 	Intra-league transfers 	Intra-league transfers
 	KalPa 	Kiekko-Espoo 	
 	HPK 	HIFK 	
 	KalPa 	HIFK 	
 	Team Kuortane 	Kiekko-Espoo 	
 	Team Kuortane 	Kiekko-Espoo 	
Departing players 	Departing players 	Departing players 	Departing players
Julia Hagnäs 	Vaasan Sport 	Färjestad BK (Damettan) 	
Aino Laitinen 	Team Kuortane 	Budapest JA (EWHL) 	
Meeri Räisänen 	HPK 	JYP U20 Akatemia (U20 Mestis)	
Jenna Suokko 	Tampereen Ilves 	Buffalo Beauts (PHF) 	
Preliminaries
Player 	Initial 2021–22 team 	Joining 2021–22 team 	ref.
Incoming players 	Incoming players 	Incoming players 	Incoming players
 	ŠKP Bratislava (EWHL)	HPK 	
 	ŠKP Bratislava (EWHL)	HPK 	
Departing players	Departing players 	Departing players 	Departing players
 	RoKi 	Luleå HF/MSSK (L) (SDHL)	
 	RoKi 	Luleå HF/MSSK (SDHL) 	
Divisional series
Player 	Initial 2021–22 team 	Joining 2021–22 team 	ref.
Incoming players 	Incoming players 	Incoming players 	Incoming players
 	ŠKP Bratislava (EWHL) 	HPK 	
 	St. Cloud State Huskies (NCAA D1)	Ilves 	
 	Toronto (PWHPA) 	HPK 	
 	ŠKP Bratislava (EWHL) 	HPK 	
Departing players	Departing players 	Departing players 	Departing players
 	HPK 	Neuchâtel HA (SWHL A) 	
 	Ilves 	KRS Vanke Rays (ZhHL) 	
 	HPK 	ŠKP Bratislava (EWHL) 	
 	HPK 	ŠKP Bratislava (EWHL) 	
 	RoKi 	HK Nové Zámky U16 (Slovakia U16)	
 	HPK 	KRS Vanke Rays (ZhHL) 	
 	Kiekko-Espoo 	KRS Vanke Rays (ZhHL) 	
== Teams ==
Team 	Location 	Home venue 	Head coach 	Captain
HIFK Naisetor Stadin Gimmat 	Helsinki 	Pirkkolan jäähalli 	 	
HPK Kiekkonaiset 	Hämeenlinna 	Jääliikuntakeskus Hakio 	 	
Ilves Naiset 	Tampere 	Tesoman jäähalli 	 	
KalPa Naiset 	Kuopio 	Niiralan Monttu 	 	
Kiekko-Espoo Naiset 	Espoo 	Tapiolan harjoitusareena 	 	
Kärpät Naiset 	Oulu 	Raksilan jäähalli 	 	
RoKi Naiset 	Rovaniemi 	Lappi Areena 	 	
Sport Naiset 	Vaasa 	Vaasan Sähkö Arena 	 	
Team Kuortane 	Kuortane 	Kuortaneen jäähalli 	 	
TPS Naiset 	Turku 	Kupittaan jäähalli 	 	
Team promoted from the Naisten Mestis to the lower division	Team promoted from the Naisten Mestis to the lower division	Team promoted from the Naisten Mestis to the lower division	Team promoted from the Naisten Mestis to the lower division	Team promoted from the Naisten Mestis to the lower division
APV Naiset 	Alavus 	Alavus Areena 	Noora Mäkiranta 	Pinja Niemistö
Lukko Naiset 	Rauma 	Westinghouse Areena 	Sami Piilikangas 	Maija Koski
== Preliminary series ==
The preliminary series began on 11 September and concluded on 12 December 2021. The Finnish Ice Hockey Association opted to use the points per game ranking system first implemented in the 2020–21 season to allow for the potential of cancelled matches due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Some games in the preliminary series were rescheduled, however, each team was able to play all twenty matches.
The top six ranked teams in the preliminaries advanced to the regular season, also called the upper division series () and were guaranteed playoff berths.
===Standings===
Official ranking
Teams were officially ranked by average points per game with ties broken by greater number of games played, followed by best goal difference, then greater number of goals.
 	Team 	
1	K-Espoo 	3.00
2	HIFK 	2.55
3	Kärpät 	2.05
4	Ilves 	1.65
5	Kuortane	1.55
6	TPS 	1.40
 	Team 	
7 	HPK 	1.30
8 	RoKi 	1.00
9 	KalPa	0.50
10	Sport	0.00
=== Schedule ===
Preliminaries	Preliminaries	Preliminaries	Preliminaries	Preliminaries	Preliminaries	Preliminaries 	Preliminaries	Preliminaries	Preliminaries	Preliminaries
Date 	Home 	Score 	Visitor 	OT 	Atn 	Notes 	 	 	 	
11 September 	Ilves 	0–2 	HIFK 	 	110 	Shutout recorded by Iina Kuusela (1) 	 	 	 	
11 September 	HPK 	4–7 	TPS 	 	70 	 	 	 	 	
11 September 	Kuortane 	1–6 	Kärpät 	 	35 	 	 	 	 	
11 September 	K-Espoo 	8–1 	KalPa 	 	88 	 	 	 	 	
11 September 	RoKi 	8–1 	Sport 	 	102 	 	 	 	 	
12 September 	RoKi 	5–2 	Sport 	 	89 	 	 	 	 	
12 September 	TPS 	2–1 	Ilves 	SO 	80 	 	 	 	 	
12 September 	KalPa 	1–2 	HPK 	OT 	112 	 	 	 	 	
18 September 	K-Espoo 	8–0 	HPK 	 	58 	Shutout recorded by Tiia Pajarinen (1) 	 	 	 	
19 September 	Kärpät 	2–1 	Ilves 	 	98 	 	 	 	 	
19 September 	KalPa 	0–5 	K-Espoo 	 	107 	Shutout recorded by Minja Drufva (1) 	 	 	 	
19 September 	HPK 	0–11 	HIFK 	 	50 	Shutout recorded by Iina Kuusela (2) 	 	 	 	
19 September 	Kuortane 	5–3 	TPS 	 	55 	 	 	 	 	
25 September 	RoKi 	2–3 	Kärpät 	 	116 	 	 	 	 	
25 September 	TPS 	2–3 	Ilves 	 	30 	 	 	 	 	
25 September 	HIFK 	4–1 	KalPa 	 	90 	 	 	 	 	
25 September 	K-Espoo 	9–1 	Sport 	 	56 	 	 	 	 	
26 September 	Ilves 	3–0 	TPS 	 	50 	 	 	 	 	
26 September 	HIFK 	9–2 	Sport 	 	62 	 	 	 	 	
26 September 	Kuortane 	6–5 	HPK 	 	60 	 	 	 	 	
26 September 	K-Espoo 	9–3 	KalPa 	 	62 	 	 	 	 	
2 October 	Kärpät 	5–0 	TPS 	 	152 	Shutout recorded by Johanna Oksman (1) 	 	 	 	
2 October 	Ilves 	2–1 	HPK 	SO 	110 	 	 	 	 	
2 October 	RoKi 	1–13 	HIFK 	 	60 	 	 	 	 	
2 October 	Sport 	2–17 	K-Espoo 	 	50 	Game with largest goal difference, ±15 	 	 	 	
3 October 	Kärpät 	0–4 	HIFK 	 	127 	Shutout recorded by Iina Kuusela (3) 	 	 	 	
3 October 	RoKi 	5–6 	TPS 	SO 	75 	 	 	 	 	
3 October 	KalPa 	0–1 	HPK 	 	165 	Shutout recorded by Noora Räty (1) 	 	 	 	
3 October 	Kuortane 	3–9 	K-Espoo 	 	70 	 	 	 	 	
9 October 	Kärpät 	1–3 	HPK 	 	101 	 	 	 	 	
9 October 	RoKi 	3–1 	KalPa 	 	82 	 	 	 	 	
9 October 	HIFK 	4–0 	Kuortane 	 	82 	Shutout recorded by Lumi Jääskeläinen (1) 	 	 	 	
10 October 	Ilves 	2–3 	HIFK 	 	90 	 	 	 	 	
10 October 	RoKi 	0–4 	HPK 	 	84 	Shutout recorded by Noora Räty (2) 	 	 	 	
10 October 	TPS 	8–0 	Sport 	 	45 	Shutout recorded by Erica Jaskari (1) 	 	 	 	
10 October 	K-Espoo 	10–0 	Kuortane 	 	84 	Shutout recorded by Tiia Pajarinen (2) 	 	 	 	
10 October 	Kärpät 	6–2 	KalPa 	 	105 	 	 	 	 	
15 October 	K-Espoo 	2–0 	HIFK 	 	172 	Shutout recorded by Tiia Pajarinen (3) 	 	 	 	
16 October 	Sport 	1–7 	Ilves 	 	45 	 	 	 	 	
16 October 	TPS 	1–3 	Kärpät 	 	40 	 	 	 	 	
16 October 	HPK 	1–2 	RoKi 	 	60 	 	 	 	 	
16 October 	Kuortane 	5–1 	KalPa 	 	60 	 	 	 	 	
17 October 	Ilves 	6–3 	Kuortane 	 	75 	 	 	 	 	
17 October 	HPK 	2–1 	Kärpät 	 	70 	 	 	 	 	
17 October 	TPS 	4–3 	RoKi 	 	65 	 	 	 	 	
23 October 	Ilves 	1–3 	Kärpät 	 	60 	 	 	 	 	
23 October 	TPS 	2–5 	HIFK 	 	60 	 	 	 	 	
23 October 	K-Espoo 	8–1 	RoKi 	 	65 	 	 	 	 	
24 October 	HPK 	1–7 	Kuortane 	 	60 	 	 	 	 	
24 October 	Ilves 	1–5 	K-Espoo 	 	75 	 	 	 	 	
24 October 	HIFK 	6–2 	RoKi 	 	85 	 	 	 	 	
24 October 	Sport 	2–15 	TPS 	 	55 	 	 	 	 	
24 October 	KalPa 	1–2 	Kärpät 	OT 	59 	 	 	 	 	
27 October 	Kuortane 	7–2 	Sport 	 	60 	 	 	 	 	
30 October 	KalPa 	6–4 	Sport 	 	61 	 	 	 	 	
30 October 	HPK 	0–2 	Ilves 	 	50 	Shutout recorded by Anni Keisala (1) 	 	 	 	
30 October 	Kuortane 	3–5 	HIFK 	 	60 	 	 	 	 	
30 October 	Kärpät 	6–0 	RoKi 	 	182 	Shutout recorded by Kati Asikainen (1); highest attended game	 	 	 	
30 October 	K-Espoo 	5–2 	TPS 	 	57 	 	 	 	 	
31 October 	Sport 	2–10 	HIFK 	 	65 	 	 	 	 	
31 October 	KalPa 	0–4 	Ilves 	 	87 	Shutout recorded by Anni Keisala (2) 	 	 	 	
31 October 	TPS 	2–1 	Kuortane 	OT 	40 	 	 	 	 	
3 November 	Sport 	0–7 	Kuortane 	 	41 	Shutout recorded by Hannele Tarkiainen (1) 	 	 	 	
5 November 	HIFK 	7–2 	TPS 	 	72 	 	 	 	 	
6 November 	Ilves 	3–4 	KalPa 	OT 	80 	 	 	 	 	
6 November 	RoKi 	0–7 	K-Espoo 	 	51 	Shutout recorded by Minja Drufva (1) 	 	 	 	
6 November 	TPS 	3–1 	HPK 	 	30 	 	 	 	 	
7 November 	Kärpät 	1–6 	K-Espoo 	 	112 	 	 	 	 	
7 November 	Sport 	1–4 	KalPa 	 	35 	 	 	 	 	
7 November 	RoKi 	1–5 	Ilves 	 	68 	 	 	 	 	
19 November 	Sport 	0–3 	Kuortane 	 	45 	Shutout recorded by Hannele Tarkiainen (2) 	 	 	 	
20 November 	Ilves 	4–2 	RoKi 	 	68 	 	 	 	 	
20 November 	Sport 	0–6 	HPK 	 	40 	No shutout recorded 	 	 	 	
20 November 	K-Espoo 	5–2 	Kärpät 	 	42 	 	 	 	 	
21 November 	KalPa 	1–2 	RoKi 	 	91 	 	 	 	 	
21 November 	HIFK 	5–2 	Kärpät 	 	85 	 	 	 	 	
21 November 	Kuortane 	3–4 	Ilves 	OT 	50 	 	 	 	 	
21 November 	HPK 	2–1 	TPS 	SO 	80 	 	 	 	 	
27 November 	RoKi 	1–2 	Kuortane 	OT 	69 	 	 	 	 	
27 November 	HPK 	4–2 	KalPa 	 	52 	 	 	 	 	
27 November 	Ilves 	8–0 	Sport 	 	80 	Shutout recorded by Salla Sivula (1) 	 	 	 	
27 November 	HIFK 	1–3 	K-Espoo 	 	117 	 	 	 	 	
28 November 	Kärpät 	4–2 	Kuortane 	 	102 	 	 	 	 	
28 November 	HPK 	5–3 	Sport 	 	50 	 	 	 	 	
28 November 	TPS 	5–2 	KalPa 	 	55 	 	 	 	 	
3 December 	K-Espoo 	5–1 	Ilves 	 	46 	 	 	 	 	
3 December 	HIFK 	6–3 	HPK 	 	77 	 	 	 	 	
4 December 	Kärpät 	6–1 	Sport 	 	86 	 	 	 	 	
4 December 	TPS 	3–9 	K-Espoo 	 	35 	 	 	 	 	
4 December 	HIFK 	3–1 	Ilves 	 	69 	 	 	 	 	
5 December 	KalPa 	3–4 	Kuortane 	 	75 	 	 	 	 	
5 December 	Kärpät 	4–0 	RoKi 	 	158 	Shutout recorded by Kati Asikainen (2) 	 	 	 	
11 December 	Sport 	1–4 	Kärpät 	 	20 	 	 	 	 	
11 December 	KalPa 	2–4 	TPS 	 	61 	 	 	 	 	
11 December 	HIFK 	1–2 	K-Espoo 	 	102 	 	 	 	 	
11 December 	Kuortane 	3–0 	RoKi 	 	40 	Shutout recorded by Hannele Tarkiainen (3) 	 	 	 	
12 December 	Sport 	2–5 	RoKi 	 	20 	 	 	 	 	
12 December 	KalPa 	1–2 	HIFK 	 	61 	 	 	 	 	
12 December 	HPK 	2–5 	K-Espoo 	 	70 	 	 	 	 	
12 December 	Kuortane 	0–6 	Kärpät 	 	40 	Shutout recorded by Johanna Oksman (2) 	 	 	 	
=== Major events ===
* 26 September 2021 – Ilves 3–0 TPS, Tesoman jäähalli (Tampere)TPS forward Maija Otamo was issued a six-game ban – the longest suspension ever handed down to a player in the Naisten Liiga – after rendering Ilves forward Emilia Varpula unconscious with two hits in the head and neck area. The hits came with just nine seconds left on the clock and less than a minute after Varpula contributed an assist to Ilves’ third and final goal in the eventual shutout. Varpula was taken directly from the ice to hospital by ambulance and was ultimately diagnosed with a concussion. Following the hits, a fight broke out between TPS forward Estelle Duvin and Ilves defenseman Elli Suoranta, resulting in one game suspensions for both players.
=== Player statistics ===
Scoring leaders
The following players led the league in points at the conclusion of games the preliminaries on 12 December 2021. 
 	Player	Team 	 	 	 	 	
1 	 	K-Espoo 	19	19	23	42	2
2 	 	HIFK 	20	28	12	40	18
3 	 	TPS 	17	23	16	39	49
4 	 	K-Espoo 	20	20	15	35	6
5 	 	K-Espoo 	16	13	16	29	4
6 	 	Kuortane	17	14	13	27	8
7 	 	TPS 	14	11	16	27	33
8 	 	HIFK 	20	11	15	26	6
9 	 	K-Espoo 	20	14	11	25	31
10	 	Kärpät 	20	13	12	25	6
11	 	Kuortane	19	7 	18	25	0
 
The following skaters were the top point scorers of teams not represented in the scoring leader table at the conclusion of the preliminary series, noted with their overall league scoring rank:
*22. Johanna Juutilainen (F), KalPa: 18 GP, 6 G, 13 A, 19 Pts, 4 PIM
*25. Jenna Heitala (F), RoKi: 19 GP, 11 G, 6 A, 17 Pts, 6 PIM
*27. Susanna Viitala (F), Sport: 16 GP, 10 G, 6 A, 16 Pts, 2 PIM
* 49. Riikka Noronen (F), HPK: 19 GP, 2 G, 10 A, 12 Pts, 40 PIM
Elisa Holopainen was the leading point scorer in the preliminaries for the third consecutive season
Goaltenders
The following goaltenders lead the league in save percentage at the conclusion of the preliminary series on 12 December 2021, while starting at least one third of matches.
 	Player	Team 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	
1 	 	HPK 	14		7 	5	493	24	2	.954	1.75
2 	 	HIFK 	12		9 	3	315	18	3	.946	1.51
3 	 	Ilves 	15		6 	7	462	27	3	.945	1.82
4 	 	K-Espoo 	12		12	0	231	14	3	.943	1.24
5 	 	Kärpät 	11		8 	3	301	19	2	.941	1.73
6 	 	Kärpät 	9 		6 	3	261	17	2	.939	1.90
7 	 	K-Espoo 	8 		7 	0	129	9 	1	.935	1.17
8 	 	RoKi 	10		4 	5	351	33	0	.914	3.54
9 	 	TPS 	12		4 	6	367	37	1	.908	3.05
10	 	RoKi 	7 		2 	4	250	27	0	.903	4.17
11	 	Kuortane	10		6 	4	234	26	3	.900	2.86
Vaasan Sport was the only team not represented in the top goaltenders table at the conclusion of the preliminary series. Sport’s best goaltender was Oona Mäki, who played in thirteen games and recorded a .860 save percentage and 7.38 goals against average.
== Regular season ==
The preliminary series began on 11 September and concluded on 12 December 2021. The Finnish Ice Hockey Association opted to use the points per game ranking system first implemented in the 2020–21 season to allow for the potential of cancelled matches due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Some games in the preliminary series were rescheduled, however, each team was able to play all twenty matches.
The top six ranked teams from the preliminary series advanced to the regular season, also called the upper division series (), while teams ranked seventh through tenth progressed to the lower division series (). The regular season began on 8 January 2022.
===Standings===
Official ranking
Teams are officially ranked by average points per game with ties broken by greater number of games played, followed by best goal difference, then greater number of goals.
 	Team 	
1	K-Espoo 	2.77
2	HIFK 	2.69
3	Kärpät 	1.79
4	Ilves 	1.43
5	TPS 	1.31
6	Kuortane	1.15
=== Schedule ===
Regular Season	Regular Season	Regular Season	Regular Season	Regular Season	Regular Season	Regular Season 	Regular Season	Regular Season	Regular Season
Date 	Home 	Score 	Visitor 	OT 	Atn 	Notes 	 	 	
8 January 	Kuortane 	0–5 	Kärpät 	 	1 	Shutout recorded by Kati Asikainen (1) 	 	 	
9 January 	TPS 	6–4 	Kuortane 	 	0 	 	 	 	
15 January 	TPS 	2–1 	Kärpät 	 	0 	 	 	 	
26 February 	Kuortane 	1–3 	Ilves 	 	60 	 	 	 	
26 February 	Kärpät 	1–2 	K-Espoo 	 	82 	 	 	 	
26 February 	TPS 	3–5 	HIFK 	 	60 	 	 	 	
27 February 	Kuortane 	1–4 	K-Espoo 	 	60 	 	 	 	
27 February 	HIFK 	5–0 	TPS 	 	87 	Shutout recorded by Iina Kuusela (1) 	 	 	
27 February 	Kärpät 	2–1 	Ilves 	 	115 	 	 	 	
2 March 	K-Espoo 	1–5 	HIFK 	 	143 	 	 	 	
2 March 	Ilves 	3–1 	Kuortane 	 	70 	 	 	 	
5 March 	Ilves 	5–4 	TPS 	 	85 	 	 	 	
5 March 	HIFK 	3–0 	Kuortane 	 	137 	Shutout recorded by Lumi Jääskeläinen (1) 	 	 	
5 March 	K-Espoo 	7–0 	Kärpät 	 	53 	Shutout recorded by Tiia Pajarinen (1) 	 	 	
6 March 	TPS 	3–2 	Ilves 	 	60 	 	 	 	
6 March 	HIFK 	2–0 	Kärpät 	 	76 	Shutout recorded by Iina Kuusela (2) 	 	 	
6 March 	K-Espoo 	8–0 	Kuortane 	 	45 	Game with largest goal difference, ±8; shutout recorded by Minja Drufva (1)	 	 	
9 March 	HIFK 	3–0 	Ilves 	 	89 	Shutout recorded by Iina Kuusela (3) 	 	 	
12 March 	Kärpät 	6–3 	TPS 	 	84 	 	 	 	
12 March 	K-Espoo 	5–1 	Ilves 	 	52 	 	 	 	
12 March 	Kuortane 	X 	HIFK 	 	 	Match cancelled 	 	 	
13 March 	Ilves 	0–4 	K-Espoo 	 	45 	Shutout recorded by Minja Drufva (2) 	 	 	
13 March 	Kärpät 	1–6 	HIFK 	 	86 	 	 	 	
13 March 	Kuortane 	 	TPS 	 	 	Match cancelled 	 	 	
16 March 	HIFK 	3–2 	K-Espoo 	 	145 	Highest attended game 	 	 	
18 March 	K-Espoo 	5–4 	TPS 	OT 	51 	 	 	 	
19 March 	Ilves 	3–5 	HIFK 	 	110 	 	 	 	
19 March 	Kärpät 	 	Kuortane 	 	 	Match cancelled 	 	 	
19 March 	TPS 	4–7 	K-Espoo 	 	30 	 	 	 	
20 March 	Ilves 	1–2 	Kärpät 	OT 	50 	 	 	 	
=== Player statistics ===
Scoring leaders
The following players led the league in points at the conclusion of the regular season on 20 March 2022. In a change from the previous seasons, scoring statistics were carried over from the preliminaries and points scored in the regular season were added to those totals.
 	Player	Team 	 	 	 	 	
1 	 	TPS 	26	31	26	57	65
2 	 	K-Espoo 	27	29	27	56	4
3 	 	HIFK 	29	37	18	55	22
4 	 	K-Espoo 	28	26	20	46	10
5 	 	TPS 	23	17	27	44	37
6 	 	HIFK 	21	15	27	42	8
7 	 	K-Espoo 	30	18	19	37	33
8 	 	K-Espoo 	23	15	22	37	10
9 	 	HIFK 	28	18	15	33	0
10	 	HIFK 	27	15	18	33	10
11	 	K-Espoo 	23	7 	24	31	16
12	 	Ilves 	27	17	13	30	10
13	 	Kuortane	22	16	13	29	8
14	 	Kärpät 	25	13	14	27	10
15	 	Kärpät 	22	14	12	26	4
Goaltenders
The following goaltenders lead the league in save percentage at the conclusion of games played on 20 March 2022, while starting at least one third of matches. Goaltending statistics were not carried over from the preliminaries, only statistics accumulated in the regular season were counted towards totals.
 	Player	Team 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	
1 	 	HIFK 	6		6	0	113	4 	3	.966	0.67
2 	 	K-Espoo 	4		4	0	75 	5 	2	.938	1.25
3 	 	Kärpät 	5		2	3	188	13	1	.935	2.61
4 	 	Kärpät 	4		2	2	151	11	0	.932	2.70
5 	 	K-Espoo 	6		4	2	164	13	1	.927	2.18
6 	 	Ilves 	6		3	3	196	18	0	.916	3.02
7 	 	Kuortane	5		0	4	178	17	0	.913	3.57
8 	 	HIFK 	3		3	0	53 	6 	1	.898	2.00
9 	 	TPS 	7		1	6	211	33	0	.865	4.86
10	 	Kuortane	3		0	3	68 	12	0	.850	5.73
== Lower division series ==
The teams ranked seventh through tenth in the Naisten Liiga preliminaries – HPK, KalPa, RoKi, and Sport – progressed to the lower division series (), where they were joined by the top two teams from the Naisten Mestis cross-qualifiers, Alavuden Peli-Veikot (APV) and Rauman Lukko. The lower division series began on 5 February and concluded on 20 March. It was played as a double round-robin, with every team playing each of their five opponents twice. The two teams with the top points per game averages at the conclusion of the series, HPK and KalPa, progress to the playoff quarterfinals. The remaining four teams – APV, Lukko, RoKi, and Sport – proceed to the qualifiers (), where they face potential relegation.
===Standings===
<onlyinclude>
Official ranking
 	Team 	
1	HPK 	3.00
2	KalPa	2.20
3	RoKi 	1.50
4	Lukko	1.20
5	Sport	0.60
6	APV 	0.50
=== Schedule ===
Lower Division	Lower Division	Lower Division	Lower Division	Lower Division	Lower Division	Lower Division 	Lower Division	Lower Division	Lower Division	Lower Division
Date 	Home 	Score 	Visitor 	OT 	Atn 	Notes 	 	 	 	
5 February 	RoKi 	11–5 	APV 	 	61 	 	 	 	 	
5 February 	Sport 	2–3 	Lukko 	 	– 	 	 	 	 	
12 February 	Sport 	1–7 	HPK 	 	25 	 	 	 	 	
13 February 	RoKi 	1–9 	HPK 	 	53 	 	 	 	 	
13 February 	APV 	5–4 	Sport 	OT 	100 	 	 	 	 	
19 February 	APV 	4–6 	Lukko 	 	60 	 	 	 	 	
20 February 	APV 	1–6 	HPK 	 	95 	 	 	 	 	
26 February 	HPK 	7–2 	RoKi 	 	40 	 	 	 	 	
26 February 	KalPa 	3–1 	APV 	 	52 	 	 	 	 	
27 February 	HPK 	5–3 	Lukko 	 	40 	 	 	 	 	
27 February 	APV 	7–5 	RoKi 	 	80 	 	 	 	 	
2 March 	RoKi 	3–8 	KalPa 	 	64 	 	 	 	 	
2 March 	Lukko 	0–2 	HPK 	 	60 	Shutout recorded by Kassidy Sauvé (1) 	 	 	 	
5 March 	RoKi 	5–0 	Lukko 	 	55 	Shutout recorded by Janika Järvikari (1) 	 	 	 	
5 March 	APV 	2–7 	KalPa 	 	85 	 	 	 	 	
6 March 	RoKi 	7–1 	Sport 	 	64 	 	 	 	 	
6 March 	HPK 	13–2 	APV 	 	50 	Largest goal difference, ±11 	 	 	 	
6 March 	KalPa 	4–0 	Lukko 	 	53 	Shutout recorded by Tiina Ranne (1) 	 	 	 	
9 March 	KalPa 	2–1 	Sport 	OT 	43 	 	 	 	 	
12 March 	Sport 	8–1 	APV 	 	68 	 	 	 	 	
12 March 	HPK 	4–0 	KalPa 	 	40 	Shutout recorded by Kassidy Sauvé (2) 	 	 	 	
12 March 	Lukko 	2–5 	RoKi 	 	50 	 	 	 	 	
13 March 	Sport 	5–6 	RoKi 	OT 	40 	 	 	 	 	
13 March 	Lukko 	0–3 	KalPa 	 	60 	Shutout recorded by Tiina Ranne (2) 	 	 	 	
16 March 	Sport 	1–3 	KalPa 	 	40 	 	 	 	 	
19 March 	HPK 	9–0 	Sport 	 	120 	Highest attended game; shutout recorded by Kassidy Sauvé (3)	 	 	 	
19 March 	KalPa 	2–1 	RoKi 	OT 	62 	 	 	 	 	
19 March 	Lukko 	3–1 	APV 	 	40 	 	 	 	 	
20 March 	KalPa 	2–5 	HPK 	 	63 	 	 	 	 	
20 March 	Lukko 	2–1 	Sport 	 	60 	 	 	 	 	
 
=== Player statistics ===
Scoring leaders
The following players led the series in points at the conclusion of lower division play on 20 March 2022. No statistics were carried over from the preliminaries, all totals represent tallies from the lower division only. 
RoKi forward Jenna Hietala topped the scoring charts for both goals and points, with 18 goals and 24 points in 10 games played. Slovak forward Júlia Matejková of HPK and KalPa’s Johanna Juutilainen tied to lead the series in assists, both tallying 12 assists in 10 games played.
 	Player	Team 	 	 	 	 	
1 	 	RoKi 	10	18	6 	24	0
2 	 	HPK 	10	12	11	23	0
3 	 	HPK 	10	9 	12	21	6
4 	 	HPK 	10	10	8 	18	12
5 	 	Sport	9 	11	6 	17	6
6 	 	HPK 	8 	6 	10	16	2
7 	 	HPK 	8 	5 	11	16	0
8 	 	KalPa	10	6 	9 	15	2
9 	 	KalPa	10	3 	12	15	0
10	 	HPK 	7 	5 	9 	14	2
11	 	APV 	10	6 	7 	13	4
Rauman Lukko was the only team not represented in the scoring leaders table at the conclusion of the lower division series. Lukko’s top scorer was Roosa-Maria Kangasniemi, who notched 2 goals and 5 assists for 7 points in ten games played. She ranked 28th overall on the list of lower division scoring leaders.
Goaltenders
The following goaltenders lead the series in save percentage at the conclusion of lower division play on 20 March 2022, while starting at least one third of matches. Goaltending statistics were not carried over from the preliminaries, only statistics accumulated during the lower division series were considered.
 	Player	Team 	 		 	 	 	 	 	 	
1	 	HPK 	8 		8	0	188	7 	3	.964	0.88
2	 	KalPa	9 		7	2	245	17	2	.935	1.88
3	 	Sport	8 		1	7	283	28	0	.910	3.48
4	 	RoKi 	7 		4	1	197	20	1	.908	3.23
5	 	Lukko	7 		4	3	159	18	0	.898	2.58
6	 	APV 	10		2	7	358	56	0	.865	6.18
==Playoffs==
==Qualification series==
The qualification series () began on 26 March and concluded 10 April. 
Three teams from the 2021 qualification series returned to the promotion/relegation tournament in 2022: Lukko, RoKi, and Vaasan Sport. Promoted from the Naisten Mestis to the lower division series alongside Lukko, APV last appeared in the 2020 qualification series, in which they did not gain promotion. 
On April 3, Rovaniemen Kiekko (RoKi) and Rauman Lukko both amassed unbeatable point advantages and secured league positions. RoKi will remain in the Naisten Liiga for the 2022–23 season and Lukko will make their return to the league after being relegated to the Naisten Mestis in the 2020–21 Naisten Liiga qualifiers. 
Vaasan Sport will be relegated to the 2022–23 Naisten Mestis, following four seasons in the Naisten Liiga in which they qualified for the playoffs as the eighth-seed in 2020 and faced relegation in both 2021 and 2022. APV will return to the Naisten Mestis after missing out on the opportunity for promotion for the second time in three seasons.
Official ranking
 	Team 	GP	Pts	
1	RoKi 	16	27 	1.69
2	Lukko	16	24 	1.50
3	Sport	16	15 	0.94
4	APV 	16	8 	0.50
=== Results ===
=== Statistics ===
Scoring leaders
The following players led scoring in the qualification series at the conclusion of games played on 9 April 2022.
 	Player	Team 	 	 	 	 	
1 	 	Lukko	5	6	5	11	0
2 	 	RoKi 	5	5	5	10	4
3 	 	RoKi 	5	2	8	10	2
4 	 	RoKi 	5	7	1	8 	2
5 	 	RoKi 	5	2	5	7 	6
6 	 	Sport	5	4	2	6 	8
7 	 	RoKi 	5	3	3	6 	0
7 	 	Lukko	5	3	3	6 	2
9 	 	APV 	5	1	5	6 	18
10	 	Sport	5	3	2	5 	0
11	 	RoKi 	3	2	3	5 	0
 
Leading goaltenders
The following goaltenders have played at least one match in the qualification series at the conclusion of games played on 9 April 2022, sorted by save percentage.
 	Player	Team 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
1	 	RoKi 	2	120:00	2	0	53 	1 	1	.981	0.50
2	 	Lukko	3	180:00	2	1	88 	7 	0	.926	2.33
3	 	Sport	3	112:22	1	0	49 	4 	0	.925	2.14
4	 	Lukko	2	120:00	2	0	52 	5 	0	.912	2.50
5	 	APV 	4	238:07	1	3	144	14	0	.911	3.53
6	 	RoKi 	2	80:00 	1	0	41 	4 	0	.911	3.00
7	 	RoKi 	W	96:55 	0	2	42 	5 	0	.894	3.10
8	 	APV 	1	60:00 	0	1	43 	7 	0	.860	7.00
9	 	Sport	4	187:38	1	3	101	18	0	.849	5.76
== Awards and honours ==
===Finnish Ice Hockey Association awards===
* Marianne Ihalainen Award (Top point scorer): Estelle Duvin, TPS
* Tiia Reima Award (Top goal scorer): Matilda Nilsson, HIFK
* Sari Fisk Award (Best plus/minus): Kiira Yrjänen, Kiekko-Espoo
* Student Athlete Award: Emmi Rakkolainen, Kiekko-Espoo
* U18 Student Athlete Award: Oona Havana, Kärpät
Source: Finnish Ice Hockey Association
French forward Estelle Duvin of TPS claimed the Marianne Ihalainen Award as regular season scoring champion, amassing a staggering 31 goals and 26 assists for 57 points in 26 games played. She became the second international player to ever capture the honor, following Czech forward Michaela Pejzlová who won the award in 2021. HIFK Naiset winger Matilda Nilsson was the top goalscorer of the regular season, notching 37 goals in 29 games played and winning the Tiia Reima Award for the second consecutive season.
=== Player of the Month ===
* September 2021: Kiira Yrjänen (F), Kiekko-Espoo
* October 2021: Estelle Duvin (F), TPS
* November 2021: Elisa Holopainen (F), Kiekko-Espoo
* December 2021: too few games played due to holiday break, no player named
* January 2022: number of games limited due to COVID-19 Omicron, no player named
* February 2022: too few games played due to Olympic break, no player named
* March 2022: Suvi Käyhkö (F), Kärpät
== References ==
== External links ==
* Naisten Liiga official website 
2021–22
Category:2021–22 in women's ice hockey
Liiga Naiset
Category:2021–22 in European ice hockey leagues