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Mira Kuisma
* May 6, 1987 Kuopio
168 cm, 65 kg
Catches left
Team: Kärpät Oulu
Mira Kuisma has been a member of the Finnish national team since 2006 but has not yet seen action at major championship tournaments. At the 2009 World Championship in Hämeenlinna, Finland, she was the number three goaltender in the bronze-medal winning team. Mira plays at the Finnish League team Kärpät. She started playing hockey at five and chose to become a goaltender because her father was also one.
2009 WCh bronze
National team: 31 games, 0+0=0 points
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Noora Räty
* May 29, 1989 Espoo
165 cm, 68 kg
Catches left
Team: University of Minnesota (NCAA)
Noora Räty is only 20 but is already going to her second Olympic Games. Four years ago in Turin she was the youngest member of the Finnish team. In 2007 Noora was selected the best goaltender of the World Championship tournament. In 2008 in Harbin, China, she went one better: having shut out the USA for Finland’s first ever win over North American opponents at major level she won the MVP award of the World Championship tournament. After winning three Finnish championship titles with Blues Espoo Noora moved in 2009 to the University of Minnesota, where she plans to major in kinesiology. She is also known as an excellent golfer.
2005 WCh 4th
2006 OG 4th
2007 WCh 4th
2008 WCh bronze
2009 WCh bronze
National team: 86 games, 0+0=0 points
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Anna Vanhatalo
* February 29, 1984 Helsinki
178 cm, 65 kg
Catches left
Team: Blues Espoo
Anna Vanhatalo is new to ice hockey but not new to goaltending in the world elite. She moved over to hockey only last autumn after having won everything the sport of ringette has to offer, including two World Championship titles in 2004 and 2007. Her excellent performances with Blues Espoo in the Finnish League and the European Women’s Champions Cup as well as in training games of the national team earned her a call to her first Olympic tournament. In 2009 Anna also earned her Master’s degree at the Helsinki School of Economics. The subject of her thesis was sponsorship of women’s sports.
No previous major tournaments.
National team: 9 games, 0+0=0 points
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Jenni Hiirikoski
* March 30, 1987 Lempäälä
161 cm, 60 kg
Shoots left
Team: Ilves Tampere
Jenni Hiirikoski made her major international debut in the Finnish national team at the World Championship of 2004 in Halifax, Canada. In 2009 she was selected best defender of the World Championship tournament in Hämeenlinna. Jenni has returned to her home team Ilves after playing the 2008/09 season as a full-time professional at SKIF Nizhny Novgorod in the Russian league. She was the leading scorer in the championship-winning SKIF team in the final tournament of the European Women’s Champions Cup in 2009. Jenni’s favorite pastimes are snowboarding and long walks.
2004 WCh bronze
2005 WCh 4th
2007 WCh 4th
2008 WCh bronze
2009 WCh bronze
National team: 117 games, 10+23=33 points
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Emma Laaksonen
* December 17, 1981 Washington D.C. (USA)
159 cm, 60 kg
Shoots left
Team: Blues Espoo
Emma Laaksonen will be the captain the Finnish women’s hockey team in Vancouver. She is one of only two survivors from the bronzemedal-winning team at the inaugural women’s Olympic tournament in Nagano 1998. Only 16 at the time, she became the youngest ever Finnish Olympic medalist in any sport. Emma’s long list of honors also includes selection to the All-Star team at the World Championship of 2008, five Finnish championship titles with Blues Espoo and one Russian one with SKIF and retirement of the number 3 jersey by Ohio State University, her alma mater from 2000 to 2004. Emma works as a finance dealer in a major Finnish bank. She also serves as the athletes’ representative in the Board of the Finnish Olympic Committee.
1998 OG bronze
2000 WCh bronze
2001 WCh 4th
2002 OG 4th
2004 WCh bronze
2005 WCh 4th
2006 OG 4th
2007 WCh 4th
2008 WCh bronze
2009 WCh bronze
National team: 201 games, 22+48=70 points
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Rosa Lindstedt
* January 24, 1988 Ylöjärvi
186 cm, 78 kg
Shoots left
Team: Ilves Tampere
Rosa Lindstedt has made a strong breakthrough into the Finnish national team this season. She scored against Canada in Pre-Olympic tournament in Vancouver in September and has featured prominently in the defensive line-up of the Lionesses ever since. The Olympic tournament in Vancouver will be her debut at major international championships. Rosa will be the tallest ever woman to represent Finland at the Olympic Games in any sport. She already has an Olympic medalist in her family: her mother’s cousin Marko Asell won silver in wrestling in Atlanta 1996.
No previous major tournaments.
National team: 23 games, 1+4=5 points
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Terhi Mertanen
* April 4, 1981 Joensuu
164 cm, 68 kg
Shoots left
Team: Blues Espoo
Terhi Mertanen has made an impressive comeback into the national team this season since last playing at major championship level in Turin 2006. She is one of the more experienced players in the Finnish team: Vancouver will already be her third Olympic tournament. In 2004 Terhi played a key role when Finland won bronze at the World Championship in Halifax, Canada. In the same year she was selected best defender in the Finnish League. Terhi works as a web analytics consultant and is an avid user of social media.
2001 WCh 4th
2002 OG 4th
2004 WCh bronze
2005 WCh 4th
2006 OG 4th
National team: 135 games, 11+19=30 points
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Heidi Pelttari
* August 2, 1985 Tampere
166 cm, 69 kg
Shoots left
Team: Ilves Tampere
Heidi Pelttari made Finnish ice hockey history at the World Championship of 2008 in Harbin, China. Her overtime goal against the USA earned Finland its first ever victory against a North American team at a major international tournament. Heidi won the award for best defender in the Finnish League in 2006 before moving to the University of Minnesota-Duluth. In 2008 she celebrated the NCAA championship title with UMD Bulldogs. She has recently returned home to Ilves Tampere to prepare for her second Olympic tournament in Vancouver. Heidi’s favorite hobbies are football and snowboarding.
2005 WCh 4th
2006 OG 4th
2007 WCh 4th
2008 WCh bronze
2009 WCh bronze
National team: 87 games, 11+26=37 points
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Mariia Posa
* February 21, 1988 Hyvinkää
165 cm, 57 kg
Shoots left
Team: University of Minnesota-Duluth (NCAA)
Mariia Posa made her major international debut in the Finnish national team at the World Championship of 2009 on home ice in Hämeenlinna, and got to celebrate bronze medals. After that season she left the Finnish champion team Blues Espoo for the University of Minnesota-Duluth. Her twin sister Christine, who plays as a forward, has also featured in the Finnish national team this season.
2009 WCh bronze
National team: 45 games, 1+0=1 points
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Saija Sirviö
* December 29, 1982 Oulu
172 cm, 61 kg
Shoots left
Team: Kärpät Oulu
Saija Sirviö has played in the Finnish national team at every major championship tournament since the turn of the millennium. Over these years she has won three World Championship medals. Saija has played all through her career at Kärpät in her home town Oulu. She was selected best defender in the Finnish League in the 2006/07 season. Saija is about to get her degree in information technology at the University of Oulu. Her fiancé Tuomas Tarkki is goaltender in Kärpät’s men’s league hockey team.
2001 WCh 4th
2002 OG 4th
2004 WCh bronze
2005 WCh 4th
2006 OG 4th
2007 WCh 4th
2008 WCh bronze
2009 WCh bronze
National team: 154 games, 7+33=40 points
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Anne Helin
* January 28, 1987 Helsinki
170 cm, 68 kg
Shoots left
Team: Kärpät OuluAnne Helin has been one of the best goalscorers in the Finnish League for the past few seasons. She has been selected All-Star right winger of the league for three years in a row. In 2007 Anne moved from her native Helsinki to the Kärpät team in Oulu, where she also studies for a nurse’s diploma. Her national team career has also been successful: she goes to her first Olympic Games with two bronze medals from the last two World Championship under her belt. In her junior years Anne was also a talented football and bandy player.
2008 WCh bronze
2009 WCh bronze
National team: 39 games, 21+12=33 points
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Venla Hovi
* October 28, 1987 Tampere
169 cm, 62 kg
Shoots left
Team: Ilves Tampere
Venla Hovi (née Heikkilä) has played all through her career at Ilves Tampere except for one season spent at Niagara University. In 2006 she scored the decisive overtime goal for Ilves in the Finnish league championship finals. In the following year she made her major international debut in the national team. Venla is a student at Tampere University of Applied Sciences. In the summer of 2009 she got married and changed her surname from Heikkilä to Hovi.
2007 WCh 4th
2008 WCh bronze
2009 WCh bronze
National team: 60 games, 9+12=21 points
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Michelle Karvinen
* March 27, 1990 Rødovre (Denmark)
167 cm, 70 kg
Shoots left
Team: RSIK Rødovre (Denmark)
One of the most exciting prospects in Finnish women’s hockey for years actually comes from Denmark. Daughter of a Danish mother and a Finnish father who works in Denmark as a hockey coach, Michelle Karvinen was born and bred in suburban Copenhagen. Chance to play at the Olympic Games made her choose the national team of her father’s country. She first wore the Finnish lion jersey in 2006, but it was not until 2009 that she became eligible to play for Finland at the World Championship, after living for two years in the country. Michelle scored five goals in Hämeenlinna, including two in the bronze game against Sweden, and was selected to the All-Star team of the World Championship tournament. After two dominating seasons in the Finnish league Michelle has returned to Denmark this season to play in the local men’s second division team.
2009 WCh bronze
National team: 66 games, 32+30=62 points
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Annina Rajahuhta
* March 8, 1989 Helsinki
164 cm, 63 kg
Shoots left
Team: Ilves Tampere
Annina Rajahuhta has made her breakthrough into the Finnish national team in the Olympic season, having previously played in only two games in the senior team. She first wore the lion jersey in the national junior team in 2008. At club level Annina plays for Ilves Tampere, having moved there in 2009 after winning the Finnish league title with Blues Espoo. Her first league team was IHK in her home city Helsinki.
No previous major tournaments.
National team: 20 games, 0+3=3 points
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Karoliina Rantamäki
* February 23, 1978 Vantaa
163 cm, 66 kg
Shoots left
Team: SKIF Nizhny Novgorod (Russia)
Karoliina Rantamäki has led the offense of the Finnish Lionesses for more than a decade. She has played for Finland in 12 consecutive major championship tournaments and collected Olympic bronze in Nagano and no less than six bronze medals at the World Championship. Vancouver will be her fourth Olympic Games, a record she will share with team-mate Emma Laaksonen. Karoliina also leads the all-time scoring statistics of the Finnish League. In 2007 she left Blues Espoo to play full-time professional hockey at SKIF in the Russian league. She has already led her team to one Russian championship as well as to the European Women’s Champions Cup title of 2009. Karoliina was a versatile athlete in her junior years and still enjoys playing football in her spare time.
1997 WCh bronze
1998 OG bronze
1999 WCh bronze
2000 WCh bronze
2001 WCh 4th
2002 OG 4th
2004 WCh bronze
2005 WCh 4th
2006 OG 4th
2007 WCh 4th
2008 WCh bronze
2009 WCh bronze
National team: 239 games, 87+94=181 points
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Mari Saarinen
* July 30, 1981 Kangasala
172 cm, 67 kg
Shoots left
Team: Ilves Tampere
Mari Saarinen has played for Finland in every major championship tournament since the turn of the millennium and specializes in scoring in big games. In 2004 her goal sealed Finland’s victory over Sweden in the bronze medal match at the World Championship in Halifax, Canada. She also scored in the bronze medal games in 2008 and 2009, both won by Finland. In 2004 Mari was selected best forward in the Finnish League. She has played all through her career at Ilves in the Finnish League. Her favorite pastimes are football and inline hockey.
2001 WCh 4th
2004 WCh bronze
2005 WCh 4th
2006 OG 4th
2007 WCh 4th
2008 WCh bronze
2009 WCh bronze
National team: 146 games, 28+23=51 points
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Nina Tikkinen
* February 6, 1987 Salo
169 cm, 70 kg
Shoots left
Team: Minnesota State University (NCAA)
Nina Tikkinen was selected rookie player of the year in the Finnish League in the 2003/04 season. In 2005 she moved from TPS Turku to Kärpät Oulu and two years later on to Minnesota State University, where she majors in economics. She made her debut in the Finnish senior national team in 2005 and played at the World Championship for the first time two years later in Winnipeg. In the 2008 tournament in Harbin she scored for Finland in the bronze medal match against Switzerland.
2007 WCh 4th
2008 WCh bronze
2009 WCh bronze
National team: 71 games, 10+12=22 points
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Minnamari Tuominen
* June 26, 1990 Helsinki
165 cm, 68 kg
Shoots right
Team: Ohio State University (NCAA)
Minnamari Tuominen is the youngest player in the Finnish Olympic team in Vancouver. She won three Finnish championship titles with Blues Espoo before moving to Ohio State University in 2009. “Minttu” was assistant captain of the Finnish team at the Under 18 World Championship of 2008. Vancouver 2010 will be her major championship debut in the senior national team. After graduation, Minnamari would like to work with young athletes and their nutrition. She is not related to her team-mate Saara Tuominen.
2008 U18 WCh 6th
National team: 28 games, 4+2=6 points
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Saara Tuominen
* January 1, 1986 Ylöjärvi
168 cm, 64 kg
Shoots left
Team: University of Minnesota-Duluth (NCAA)
Saara Tuominen moved to University of Minnesota-Duluth in 2006 after a very successful season: she had led her team Ilves to the Finnish championship title, won the award for best forward in the league and played well in her Olympic debut in Turin. More glory came in 2008 when the UMD Bulldogs won the Frozen Four final tournament for the NCAA championship. In the Finnish national team Saara has been a regular choice since 2004, often playing as the first-line center. She majors in sports science and intends to complete her studies later with a Finnish university degree.
2004 WCh bronze
2005 WCh 4th
2006 OG 4th
2007 WCh 4th
2008 WCh bronze
2009 WCh bronze
National team: 109 games, 32+40=72 points
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Linda Välimäki
* May 31, 1990 Ylöjärvi
165 cm, 62 kg
Shoots left
Team: Ilves Tampere
Linda Välimäki was the leading Finnish scorer at the World Under 18 Championship of 2008. Vancouver will be her major championship debut in the senior national team – she was selected for the 2009 World Championship but missed the home event due to back trouble. The Olympic season has started well for Linda: she was the leading scorer of the Finnish league in regular season and played effectively in training matches of the national team. Linda postponed her graduation from high school for a year in order to concentrate to training for the Olympic Games.
2008 U18 WCh 6th
National team: 35 games, 11+5=16 points
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Marjo Voutilainen
* March 22, 1981 Kuopio
168 cm, 70 kg
Shoots left
Team: Blues Espoo
Marjo Voutilainen has had an unusual career in the Finnish national team. She made a successful comeback to the Lionesses at the World Championship in Harbin, China in 2008 after last playing for them at the Olympic Games of 2002 in Salt Lake City. Marjo has won three Finnish championship titles with Blues Espoo. In the 2008/09 season she played at SKIF in the Russian league and scored the championship-winning goal for the club in the final tournament of the European Women’s Champions Cup. The opponent in that game was her former team Blues Espoo, where Marjo returned at the start of the Olympic season.
2001 WCh 4th
2002 OG 4th
2008 WCh bronze
2009 WCh bronze
National team: 114 games, 14+40=54 points
