Finland was fourth in the under-18 girls’ ice hockey World Cup. The United States, which was in the bronze medal match for the first time, took the dullest medals with a 5–0 victory over Tyttöleijon.
22:02•Updated 22:07
Finland’s under-18 girls lost to the United States in the bronze medal game of the World Cup with a score of 0–5. The head coach of the team Mira Kuisma was disappointed after the match.
– Feeling quite empty. We went to get the medal. That was the result today. We gave everything on the ice after yesterday’s bitter defeat.
The girl lions lost to Canada late on Saturday in the semi-final, even though at the beginning of the third round they were close even to the historic finals place. The heavy loss weighed on Kuisma’s team in the bronze medal match.
– It is pointless to deny that it would have been difficult for anyone to collect themselves after yesterday’s match. It was such a short recovery time. All measures were attempted. What was left today was definitely left on ice.
The girl lions have never reached the World Cup final. Finland has three bronze medals.
The United States was in the bronze medal match for the first time. It had played in every final of the previous Games, but on Saturday Sweden knocked it out of the brightest medals.
The United States, who had a few more hours of recovery time, were responsible for the goals Joy Dunne in the first, Samantha Taber and Kendra Distad in the other as well Alexandra Lalonde and Anabella Fanale in the third period.
Special situations decide
The Finnish team was drastically reformed from the previous World Cup. There were 13 new players. Finland lost all three of its opening group games with a goal difference of 2–22, but made it to the next games as a country in the A group. The team’s only win was a 3–2 quarter-final win over the Czech Republic.
Kuisma admits that the initial series was difficult in terms of results.
– When we are with young girls, the idea is to go more towards that result. However, we have to take care of the big picture, because there were some good things in the game and we made the pieces fall into place in the last games. The psychological side was also optimized. The tournament was upbeat.
In the semi-final against Canada, the girl lions were offered the keys to the solution with an upper hand in the final moments of the match. Ylivoima did not succeed in the bronze game either. In six games, Finland scored three goals out of 24 overtime.
The team’s superiority percentage of 12.50 is weaker than other top teams. In the Czech Republic, the United States, Sweden and Canada, the yv percentages hover between 20 and 30 percent. Alivoima was also weaker than others in Finland.
– One of the requirements of the international game is that playing in special situations is on point. Our superiority percentage in this tournament was not enough for that. Should have been able to score more goals with superiority.
The level difference narrows
Playing for medals for the first time since 2018, Sweden surprised the United States in its own semifinal and advanced to the final for the second time in history. According to Kuisma, the success of the talented Swedish group is not a surprise.
The final match between Finland and Sweden was close this year. According to Kuisma, the Nordic countries have narrowed the lead of the Americans.
– This is the best possible for women’s and girls’ hockey. Both Nordic countries have been able to challenge North American teams. It was not far from us and Sweden implemented it.
– We have caught up with them, or even passed them, in terms of the usual aspects of the game and commitment to doing things.