KeuPa HT

KeuPa HT are a semi-professional ice hockey team based in Keuruu, Finland. They are members of the second highest league in Finland, Mestis. The club was founded in 1995 in the Finnish fourth division II-Divisioona after the ice hockey club decided to part company with the Keuruu sports club. They play their home games in the Keuruu Ice Hall, which holds 1200 spectators.
==History==
KeuPa HT was born in 1995 after the ice hockey branch of the Keuruu sports club split from the football and ice skating branches. KeuPa kept their traditional name but added "Hockey Team" to the end to differentiate themselves; hence, the abbreviation HT appears at the end of the name.Keuruun Pallo (Keuruun ball), Retrieved 2015-04-27 
The club was promoted to the third division, Suomi-sarja, in 2011–2012 and went on to claim the gold medal and win the third-division championship. By winning, they entered the playoffs with LeKi, KooVee and HCK that year for the right to be promoted to the second division, Mestis. KeuPa finished third in the playoffs and remained in Suomi-sarja, while the other two clubs were promoted to Mestis. HCK, who came second in the playoffs, were promoted only because Wafer-Laser went bankrupt and had to pull out of Mestis.KeuPa HT, Retrieved 2015-04-27 
In the 2012–2013 season, the club sought to defend their title but could manage only a third-place finish at the conclusion of the season, winning the bronze medal. RoKi won the championship title and qualified for Mestis. KeuPa HT had to settle for another season in the third division after coming close to promotion again. The head coach quit at the end of the season.
The 2013–2014 season started off badly for the club. They had not been able to find a replacement for their head coach, and the club was in a precarious financial situation, staring at bankruptcy or folding the club up and ceasing operations, which would mean that they would not be able to compete in the Suomi-sarja season. The KeuPa HT players started a fundraising campaign to raise the money needed to keep the club afloat and allow them to compete in the league that year. By season's start, they had managed to raise the needed money, and they began the season on schedule. The club went through a rocky, patchy start to the season but managed to gain momentum at the end of the regular season and just reach the playoff finals. In the playoffs, KeuPa dispatched with RoKi and Bewe Tuuskin to meet FPS (formerly FoPS) of Forssa in the final. KeuPa HT beat FPS in the final and qualified for Mestis for the first time, ending what became a Cinderella season from a very bleak start.
KeuPa HT went through two head coaches in their first season in the second division in 2014–2015, firstly Jussi Tupamäki then Kari Rautakorpi from 23 February 2015. The team finished the regular season in 8th position, just missing out on the relegation positions of 9 and 10. Their record for the season was 13 wins and 30 losses with 8 overtime victories and 5 overtime losses for a total of 60 points from 56 matches.Mestis season 2014–2015, Retrieved 2015-04-27 
==Players==
Current roster as of 1 March 2015
===Current roster===
 2014–2015 KeuPa HT Roster
# 	Nat	Name	Pos	Age	Agreement 	Birthplace
41	 	 	W 	30 	2015 	Keuruu, Finland
3 	 	 	D 	21 	Loan ( SAIPA 2016 + 1 )	Lappeenranta, Finland
9 	 	 	W 	23 	2015 	Kiiminki, Finland
18	 	 	D 	27 	2015 	Jyväskylä, Finland
15	 	 	W 	26 	2015 	Jyväskylän maalaiskunta, Finland
35	 	 	G 	19 	Loan ( Lock A ) 	Sotkamo, Finland
42	 	(A) 	D 	25 	2015 	Tornio, Finland
4 	 	 	D 	20 	2015 	Kemi, Finland
22	 	 	F 	26 	2015 ( 2016 ) 	Kuopio, Finland
14	 	 	W 	23 	2015 	Pyhajarvi, Finland
7 	 	 	W 	23 	2015 ( 2016 ) 	Jyväskylä, Finland
35	 	 	G 	25 	2015 	Jyväskylä, Finland
25	 	 	W 	21 	2015 	Jyväskylä, Finland
33	 	 	W 	22 	2015 	Salo, Finland
21	 	(C) 	F 	26 	2015 ( 2016 ) 	Keuruu, Finland
12	 	 	W 	31 	2015 	Oulu, Finland
10	 	 	W 	22 	2015 	Tornio, Finland
63	 	 	D 	25 	2015 	Kalajoki, Finland
12	 	 	W 	21 	2015 	Keuruu, Finland
77	 	 	W 	25 	2015 ( 2016 ) 	Lapua, Finland
11	 	 	D 	23 	2015 	Tornio, Finland
55	 	 	D 	22 	2015 	Jyväskylä, Finland
6 	 	 	D 	22 	2015 	Keuruu, Finland
16	 	 	F 	24 	2015 ( 2016 ) 	Jyväskylä, Finland
54	 	 	G 	23 	2015 	Jyväskylä, Finland
19	 	 	W 	25 	2015 	Jyväskylä, Finland
5 	 	 	D 	21 	2015 	Järvenpää, Finland
61	 	(A) 	W 	28 	2015 ( 2016 ) 	Taipalsaari, Finland
29	 	 	D 	18 	Loan ( Lock A ) 	Rauma, Finland
26	 	 	D 	20 	Loan ( Lock A ) 	Eura, Finland
43	 	 	W 	18 	Loan ( Lock A ) 	Rauma, Finland
32	 	 	G 	24 	2015 	Espoo, Finland
27	 	 	W 	21 	Loan ( SAIPA 2016 + 1 )	Lappeenranta, Finland
77	 	 	W 	22 	2015 	Tikkakoski, Finland
==Honours==
===Champions===
* Mestis (1): 2017–18
* Mestis (1): 2018–19
* Suomi-sarja (2): 2011–12, 2013–14
===Well Known Former Players===
A list of players that have played for KeuPa HT and gone onto play at the top professional level of hockey in Finland or abroad.
* Joni Lius ( SM-liiga )
* Olli Palola ( SM-liiga )
* Sinuhe Wallinheimo ( SM-liiga )
==Technical staff==
Current as of 1 March 2015
 2014–15 KeuPa HT Staff
Position 	Name
Head coach 	Kari Rautakorpi
Assistant Coach	Tero Leinonen
Assistant Coach	Juha Kantanen
==References==
==External links==
* KeuPa HT Home
* Mestis League Home
* Translated KeuPa HT News
Category:Mestis teams
Category:Established in 1995
Category:Ice hockey teams in Finland