The women’s hockey league started on Saturday with four matches. In the top game, the champion HIFK showed the locker place to last season’s finalist Kiekko-Espo.
The reigning Finnish champion HIFK opened the league season on Saturday by beating their last spring’s final opponent Kiekko-Espoo 6–2. Czech star striker Michaela Pejzlova assembled the powers of 1+2, and the team’s new recruit, the Czech keeper Blanka Skodova made 30 saves. Other HIFK winners were the striker with two goals Julia Liikala and the defender who scored his first league goal Nelly Andersson (1+1).
HIFK has quickly climbed to the top of the women’s league. The club hired a CEO Jukka Valtanen with management as Manager by Johanna Sandqvist and a coach Saara Niemen into dynamos of activity.
Valtanen served as CEO of HIFK from 2008 to 2022. In the big picture, significant financial investments in women’s hockey are still waiting. As you know, only in HIFK and HPK players do not have to put their hand in their pocket to play.
– It is almost a shame that the players of the teams playing in the women’s league have to finance their activities themselves, Valtanen tells STT.
Manager Sandqvist, 46, experienced a lot in his playing career and achieved, among other things, eight SM golds as a player in Espoo Blues. Now he started his fifth season as the head of the women’s ice hockey division of HIFK and head of the junior side.
– Often when facing challenges in everyday work, you wonder if this can be this difficult, admits Sandqvist.
Last spring, HIFK achieved not only the first women’s hockey championship in the club’s history, but also another big milestone: thanks to more than 230 registered girls and women, it became the largest women’s hockey club in the country.
– Other clubs have also come to HIFK to develop. I think we have achieved the maximum result in a short time, Sandqvist is happy.
Ilves surprised KalPa, Kärpät and HPK, the other winners
Keeper Salla Sivula blocked the goal mouth and blocked all 35 opponent shots when Ilves beat KalPa 1–0. The full hit of the fight was the highlight of the opening set Noora Myllari.
Oulun’s Kärpät performed a grandiose performance in Turku. After the opening set, Kärpät was down 0–2 against Turku Palloseura, but eventually won 4–2.
Kärppi’s head coach Sanna Lankosaari is satisfied with the way his protégés were able to load themselves into a twisted game in the opening tournament of the Women’s League played in Espoo after leaving for the morning trip.
– An important and great improvement from the team, even though the performance was not so smooth in terms of play, Kärppien’s responsible coach Sanna Lankosaari stated.
The opposition from Oulu gets tougher on Sunday, when they face the reigning champion Helsinki IFK.
The Hämeenlinna Ball Club, predicted to be at the top of the Women’s League, opened its season with a 3–1 win over Rovaniemi Kieco. They were responsible for the winners’ goals Kiti Seikkula, Ines Lukkarila and Saimi Lehto.