Team Kuortane
Team Kuortane is an ice hockey team in the Naisten Liiga, the premier women's hockey league in Finland. They are based at the Kuortaneen urheilulukio in Kuortane, a small town in South Ostrobothnia, and play at the Kuortaneen jäähalli (lit. 'Kuortane Ice Hall'). The team was founded by the Finnish Ice Hockey Association in 2010 as part of its initiative to develop the ice hockey skills of young women in Finland.[1] Since its creation, approximately half of all national under-18 team rosters have been filled by players from Team Kuortane.[2][3][4] For sponsorship reasons, the team was called Team Oriflame Kuortane during 2010 to 2014.[5]
Team Kuortane | |
---|---|
City | Kuortane, Finland |
League | Naisten Liiga |
Founded | 2010 |
Home arena | Kuortaneen jäähalli |
Colours | White, blue |
Owner(s) | Finnish Ice Hockey Association |
Head coach | Juuso Nieminen |
Captain | Jenniina Kuoppala |
Franchise history | |
2010–2014 | Team Oriflame Kuortane |
2014–present | Team Kuortane |
Current season |
Season-by-season results
List of all seasons completed by Team Kuortane.
Note: Finish = Rank at end of regular season; GP = Games played, W = Wins (3 points), OTW = Overtime wins (2 points), OTL = Overtime losses (1 point), L = Losses, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against, Pts = Points, Top scorer: Points (Goals+Assists)
Season | League | Preliminaries and regular season | Post season results | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Finish | GP | W | OTW | OTL | L | GF | GA | Pts | Top scorer | |||
2010–11 | Naisten SM-sarja | 9th | 16 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 13 | 22 | 77 | 5 | S. Valkama 12 (8+4) | Saved in relegation series |
2011–12 | Naisten SM-sarja | 7th | 16 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 54 | 45 | 20 | S. Valkama 24 (17+7) | Saved in relegation series |
2012–13 | Naisten SM-sarja | 5th | 28 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 15 | 67 | 92 | 37 | A. Kilponen 22 (12+10) | Lost quarterfinals, 0–3 (Kärpät) |
2013–14 | Naisten SM-sarja | 7th | 28 | 8 | 2 | 3 | 15 | 69 | 100 | 31 | S. Valkama 23 (11+12) | Saved in relegation series |
2014–15 | Naisten SM-sarja | 8th | 28 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 21 | 37 | 99 | 15 | S. Säkkinen 10 (4+6) | Saved in relegation series |
2015–16 | Naisten SM-sarja | 5th | 28 | 9 | 1 | 3 | 15 | 60 | 81 | 32 | P. Nieminen 23 (15+8) | Lost quarterfinals, 0–2 (Kärpät) |
2016–17 | Naisten SM-sarja | 4th | 28 | 15 | 2 | 2 | 9 | 88 | 63 | 51 | P. Nieminen 28 (15+13) | Lost quarterfinals, 0–2 (HPK) |
2017–18 | Naisten Liiga | 5th | 30 | 17 | 0 | 1 | 12 | 102 | 73 | 52 | J. Nylund 58 (30+28) | Won bronze medal, 1–0 (Blues) |
2018–19 | Naisten Liiga | 5th | 30 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 18 | 111 | 136 | 35 | V. Vainikka 41 (26+15) | Lost quarterfinals, 1–3 (KalPa) |
2019–20 | Naisten Liiga | 5th | 30 | 14 | 4 | 2 | 10 | 106 | 100 | 52 | V. Vainikka 52 (28+24) | Lost semifinal, 0–3 (Blues); Bronze medal game cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic |
2020–21 | Naisten Liiga | 8th | 27 | 14 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 83 | 69 | 45 | S. Sundelin 35 (17+18) | Lost quarterfinals, 0–2 (K-Espoo) |
2021–22 | Naisten Liiga | 6th | 27 | 9 | 1 | 2 | 15 | 72 | 104 | 31 | S. Sundelin 29 (16+13) | Lost quarterfinals, 0–3 (Kärpät) |
2022–23 | Naisten Liiga | 6th | 36 | 15 | 3 | 4 | 14 | 91 | 89 | 55 | N. Tervonen 33 (13+20) | Lost quarterfinals, 1–3 (K-Espoo) |
Players and personnel
2023–24 roster
- Coaching staff and team personnel
- Head coach: Juuso Nieminen
- Assistant coach: Mari Saarinen
- Goaltender coach: Aku Perälä
- Equipment manager: Janne Hautamaa
Team captains
- Salla Tammisalo, 2010–11
- Christa Alanko, 2011–12
- Anna Kilponen, 2012–13
- Sara Säkkinen, 2015–2017
- Sini Karjalainen, 2017–18
- Kiia Nousiainen, 2018–19
- Emilia Vesa, 2019–20
- Anna-Lotta Räsänen, 2020–21
- Nea Tervonen, 2021–2023
- Jenniina Kuoppala, 2023–
Head coaches
- Jari Risku, 2010–2018
- Arttu Sissala, 2018–19
- Mira Kuisma, 2019–2023
- Juuso Nieminen, 2023–
Team honours
Finnish Championship
- Aurora Borealis Cup Third Place (1): 2018
U20 SM-turnaus
The under-20 (U20) Finnish Championship (SM) tournament is a competition for the top women's under-20 ice hockey teams from across Finland. Team Kuortane has medaled at all but one tournament since the team's founding in 2010. The championship was not held in 2020 or 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Finnish Champions (6): 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019
- Runner-up (1): 2012
- Third Place (1): 2011
Notable alumnae
Years active with Team Kuortane listed with players' names.
- Sini Karjalainen, 2015–2018
- Anni Keisala, 2013–2016
- Anna Kilponen, 2011–2014
- Niina Mäkinen, 2010–11
- Petra Nieminen, 2015–2018
- Jenniina Nylund, 2015–2018
- Suvi Ollikainen, 2011–2014
- Tiina Ranne, 2010–2014
- Sanni Rantala, 2017–2021
- Eve Savander, 2014–2018
- Sofianna Sundelin, 2018–2023
- Jenna Suokko, 2012–2014
- Eveliina Suonpää, 2011–2014
- Sara Säkkinen, 2014–2018
- Vilma Tanskanen, 2011–2014
- Viivi Vainikka, 2016–2020
- Saana Valkama, 2010–2014
- Emilia Vesa, 2016–2020
- Ella Viitasuo, 2012–2015
- Kiira Yrjänen, 2017–2021
References
- "Sinille ja Saralle SM-kultaa – Team Kuortane voitti A-tyttöjen Suomen kiekkomestaruuden". Koillissanomat (in Finnish). 27 April 2018. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
- Pakarinen, Risto (10 January 2023). "A view from the top". International Ice Hockey Federation. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
- Oliver, Nathaniel (18 January 2018). "Is Finland's Elli Mäkelä the Next Kimmo Timonen?". The Hockey Writers. Retrieved 9 July 2019.
- "Kuortaneen urheilulukio - Jääkiekko". kuortane.fi (in Finnish). Retrieved 11 July 2019.
- "Team Oriflame Kuortane nuorella joukkueella SM-sarjaan". leijonat.fi (in Finnish). Finnish Ice Hockey Association. 10 September 2010. Retrieved 16 July 2019.
- "2023-2024, Naisten Liiga – Kookoonpano Kuortane". Finnish Ice Hockey Association (in Finnish). Retrieved 19 October 2023.
- "2023-2024 Naisten Liiga, harjoitusottelut – Kokoonpano Kuortane". Finnish Ice Hockey Association (in Finnish). Retrieved 28 August 2023.
- "Liiga (W) - Team Kuortane, 2023-2024 Roster". Elite Prospects. Retrieved 19 October 2023.
External links
- Team information and statistics from Eliteprospects.com and Eurohockey.com and Hockeyarchives.info (in French)
- Team Kuortane on Facebook (in Finnish)
- Team Kuortane on Instagram (in Finnish)
- Team Kuortane on Twitter (in Finnish)