The girl lions are on the hunt for medals at the home games – can the European curse of the age group be broken already? | Sport

The girl lions aim for a medal at the home games in Vantaa, which start on Saturday. According to head coach Mira Kuisma, there is a strong age group in the team.

The under-18 girls’ ice hockey world championships have been played since 2008. Only three times has there been such a freak in the statistics that Canada and the United States have not met in the final.

From the point of view of the European countries, it is comforting from the point of view of the games to be played in Vantaa in January, that in the previous two years the supremacy of the North Americans has been repelled from the finals. Sweden played against Canada in the 2023 final, last year the Czech Republic surprised and made it to the final against the United States for the first time.

The first European world champion is still being sought. Finland has participated 16 times and won bronze three times.

Could glorifying past achievements be possible now? This is what the head coach believes Mira Kuisma.

– We have enough skill to really fight for medals and even a place in the final. The age groups are good.

Toppling the giants of North America is exactly what it takes to rise to the next level. The examples of Sweden and the Czech Republic show that it is possible. In the general practice played on New Year’s Day, Finland lost to Canada 0–7.

– Yes, North Americans are more physical. They really have a lot of skating power and they are able to fight hard and make a lot of results through individuals, goalie Kerttu Kuja-Halkola says.

According to Kuisma, the basic blocks are fine. It is good to develop the way of playing based on them.

– We try to skate and use hard pressure to take away space and time, but this year we try to play more with the puck. That the game is not just tearing up and aiming for individual goal posts. We really try to play and dominate on the puck, because there is skill, Kuisma sums up.

Kuisma mentions the goalkeeper game in particular several times. The entire trio selected for the games will play in the main league in Finland with great responsibility.

Halkola, 17, representing Team Kuorante, bore the main responsibility for the Tyttöleijonien’s goal in the two previous games and shares praise for the coaching.

– Mira dares to demand a lot from us. If the training doesn’t go well, it is said about it and then it is done again. As a player, it feels like we are understood and know how to put ourselves in our position, says Kuja-Halkola.

– You have to fight for places in the medal games and medals require really hard work, but they are completely possible.

Even field players have individual skills, and very young ones. Kuisma highlights the attackers, for example Tinja Tapani, Abigail Byskatan and Julia Kuhdan. Among them, Tapani is only 15 and Kuhta 16.

– There is a lot of enthusiasm. It’s great to be able to play the games at home. It gives strength when the environment is familiar and there are familiar people in the stands, says Kuhta.

As for Finland, the home games start on Saturday against Sweden.