2021–22 Naisten Liiga season explained

The 2021–22 season was the thirty-ninth season of the, the premier level of women's ice hockey in Finland, since the league's establishment as the Naisten SM-sarja in 1982. The season began on 11 September 2021 and concluded on 20 March 2022.

League business

Offseason

HPK Kiekkonaiset team transfer

In June 2021, it was announced that the HPK team would be transferred to HPK Liiga Oy, owner of the Liiga team HPK and the U20 SM-sarja team HPK U20.^[1] HPK had previously been a part of the HPK-affiliated junior club HPK Edustusjääkiekko Ry, a non-profit association. According to Antti Toivanen, CEO of HPK Liiga Oy and general manager of the HPK men's team, the move was motivated by an interest in capitalizing on the growing women's ice hockey market, which was highlighted by the record crowds that attended the 2019 IIHF Women's World Championship in Espoo. Jorma Hassinen, general manager of HPK, expressed hope that the transfer would allow female players to develop with the same opportunities as their male counterparts.^[2]

Financial support for RoKi players

Rovaniemen Kiekko ry announced it would begin supporting RoKi Naiset ice hockey players selected to women's national team camps and evaluation tournaments with grants of several hundred to a thousand euros. RoKi Naiset head coach Tuomas Liitola stated the club's long-term goal is to reduce the cost of playing with RoKi Naiset to zero.^[3]

Coaching changes

Team	2019–20	2020–21	Details
Off–season
	Mari Saarinen	Harri Nummela	Appointed in May 2021, Nummela is the fourth HPK head coach in as many seasons. He has previously served as head coach of men's teams in the Suomi-sarja and 2. Divisioona.[4]
Oulun Kärpät Naiset	Janne Salmela	Samuli Hassi	Hassi was appointed as the new Kärpät head coach in April 2021, replacing Salmela after two seasons at the helm.[5] The 27 year old, originally from Oulu, spent the previous four seasons studying in Rovaniemi and coaching in the junior organization of Rovaniemen Kiekko (RoKi). He served as the head coach of RoKi U18 in the 2020–21 season of the men's U18 Mestis.[6]
TPS Naiset	Matti Tähkäpää, Kai Ortio	Terhi Mertanen	Ortio was promoted from assistant coach to head coach after Tähkäpää's contract was terminated with five games remaining in the 2020–21 regular season.[7] Mertanen was named the 2021–22 head coach shortly thereafter, in March 2021. An Olympic medalist with the Finnish national team at the 2010 Winter Olympics, Mertanen spent the previous two seasons as an assistant coach of RoKi Naiset.[8] [9]

Player signings of note

Note: The following tables do not include all player movements made during the Naisten Liiga season but rather feature moves involving national team players or international players, extra-league moves, and player movements determined to be otherwise notable.

Pre-season

Player	Previous team	2021–22 team	ref.
Incoming players
	Neuchâtel HA (SWHL A)	HPK	[10]
	Norwich Cadets (NCAA D3)	HPK	[11]
	Buffalo Beauts (PHF)	HPK
	ŽHK Zvolen (Slovakia)	RoKi	[12]
	KRS Vanke Rays (ZhHL)	HPK
	KRS Vanke Rays (ZhHL)	HPK	[13]
	KRS Vanke Rays (ZhHL)	Kiekko-Espoo	[14]
	HC 2001 Kladno	RoKi
Intra-league transfers
	KalPa	Kiekko-Espoo
	HPK	HIFK	[15]
	KalPa	HIFK	[16]
	Team Kuortane	Kiekko-Espoo
	Team Kuortane	Kiekko-Espoo
Departing players
Julia Hagnäs	Vaasan Sport	Färjestad BK (Damettan)
Aino Laitinen	Team Kuortane	Budapest JA (EWHL)	[17]
Meeri Räisänen	HPK	JYP U20 Akatemia (U20 Mestis)
Jenna Suokko	Tampereen Ilves	Buffalo Beauts (PHF)	[18]

Preliminaries

Player	Initial 2021–22 team	Joining 2021–22 team	ref.
Incoming players
	ŠKP Bratislava (EWHL)	HPK
	ŠKP Bratislava (EWHL)	HPK
Departing players
	RoKi	Luleå HF/MSSK (L) (SDHL)
	RoKi	Luleå HF/MSSK (SDHL)	[19]

Divisional series

Player	Initial 2021–22 team	Joining 2021–22 team	ref.
Incoming players
	ŠKP Bratislava (EWHL)	HPK
	St. Cloud State Huskies (NCAA D1)	Ilves
	Toronto (PWHPA)	HPK
	ŠKP Bratislava (EWHL)	HPK
Departing players
	HPK	Neuchâtel HA (SWHL A)
	Ilves	KRS Vanke Rays (ZhHL)	[20]
	HPK	ŠKP Bratislava (EWHL)
	HPK	ŠKP Bratislava (EWHL)
	RoKi	HK Nové Zámky U16 (Slovakia U16)
	HPK	KRS Vanke Rays (ZhHL)
	Kiekko-Espoo	KRS Vanke Rays (ZhHL)

Teams

Team	Location	Home venue	Head coach	Captain
HIFK Naiset or Stadin Gimmat	Helsinki	Pirkkolan jäähalli
	Hämeenlinna	Jääliikuntakeskus Hakio
Ilves Naiset	Tampere	Tesoman jäähalli
KalPa Naiset	Kuopio	Niiralan Monttu
Kiekko-Espoo Naiset	Espoo	Tapiolan harjoitusareena
Kärpät Naiset	Oulu	Raksilan jäähalli
RoKi Naiset	20px Rovaniemi	Lappi Areena
Sport Naiset	Vaasa	Vaasan Sähkö Arena
Team Kuortane	Kuortane	Kuortaneen jäähalli
TPS Naiset	Turku	Kupittaan jäähalli
Team promoted from the Naisten Mestis to the lower division
APV Naiset	Alavus	Alavus Areena	Noora Mäkiranta	Pinja Niemistö
Lukko Naiset	Rauma	Westinghouse Areena	Sami Piilikangas	Maija Koski

Preliminary series

The preliminary series began on 11 September and concluded on 12 December 2021. The Finnish Ice Hockey Association opted to use the points per game ranking system first implemented in the 2020–21 season to allow for the potential of cancelled matches due to the COVID-19 pandemic.^[21] Some games in the preliminary series were rescheduled, however, each team was able to play all twenty matches.

The top six ranked teams in the preliminaries advanced to the regular season, also called the upper division series and were guaranteed playoff berths.

Standings

Official ranking

Teams were officially ranked by average points per game with ties broken by greater number of games played, followed by best goal difference, then greater number of goals.^[22]

	Team
1	K-Espoo	3.00
2	HIFK	2.55
3	Kärpät	2.05
4		1.65
5	Kuortane	1.55
6	TPS	1.40

	Team
7	HPK	1.30
8		1.00
9	KalPa	0.50
10	Sport	0.00

Schedule

Preliminaries
Date	Home	Score	Visitor	OT	Atn	Notes
11 September	Ilves	0–2	HIFK		110	Shutout recorded by Iina Kuusela (1)
	HPK	4–7	TPS		70
	Kuortane	1–6	Kärpät		35
	K-Espoo	8–1	KalPa		88
	RoKi	8–1	Sport		102
12 September	RoKi	5–2	Sport		89
	TPS	2–1	Ilves	SO	80
	KalPa	1–2	HPK	OT	112
18 September	K-Espoo	8–0	HPK		58	Shutout recorded by Tiia Pajarinen (1)
19 September	Kärpät	2–1	Ilves		98
	KalPa	0–5	K-Espoo		107	Shutout recorded by Minja Drufva (1)
	HPK	0–11	HIFK		50	Shutout recorded by Iina Kuusela (2)
	Kuortane	5–3	TPS		55
25 September	RoKi	2–3	Kärpät		116
	TPS	2–3	Ilves		30
	HIFK	4–1	KalPa		90
	K-Espoo	9–1	Sport		56
26 September	Ilves	3–0	TPS		50
	HIFK	9–2	Sport		62
	Kuortane	6–5	HPK		60
	K-Espoo	9–3	KalPa		62
2 October	Kärpät	5–0	TPS		152	Shutout recorded by Johanna Oksman (1)
	Ilves	2–1	HPK	SO	110
	RoKi	1–13	HIFK		60
	Sport	2–17	K-Espoo		50	Game with largest goal difference, ±15
3 October	Kärpät	0–4	HIFK		127	Shutout recorded by Iina Kuusela (3)
	RoKi	5–6	TPS	SO	75
	KalPa	0–1	HPK		165	Shutout recorded by Noora Räty (1)
	Kuortane	3–9	K-Espoo		70
9 October	Kärpät	1–3	HPK		101
	RoKi	3–1	KalPa		82
	HIFK	4–0	Kuortane		82	Shutout recorded by Lumi Jääskeläinen (1)
10 October	Ilves	2–3	HIFK		90
	RoKi	0–4	HPK		84	Shutout recorded by Noora Räty (2)
	TPS	8–0	Sport		45	Shutout recorded by Erica Jaskari (1)
	K-Espoo	10–0	Kuortane		84	Shutout recorded by Tiia Pajarinen (2)
	Kärpät	6–2	KalPa		105
15 October	K-Espoo	2–0	HIFK		172	Shutout recorded by Tiia Pajarinen (3)
16 October	Sport	1–7	Ilves		45
	TPS	1–3	Kärpät		40
	HPK	1–2	RoKi		60
	Kuortane	5–1	KalPa		60
17 October	Ilves	6–3	Kuortane		75
	HPK	2–1	Kärpät		70
	TPS	4–3	RoKi		65
23 October	Ilves	1–3	Kärpät		60
	TPS	2–5	HIFK		60
	K-Espoo	8–1	RoKi		65
24 October	HPK	1–7	Kuortane		60
	Ilves	1–5	K-Espoo		75
	HIFK	6–2	RoKi		85
	Sport	2–15	TPS		55
	KalPa	1–2	Kärpät	OT	59
27 October	Kuortane	7–2	Sport		60
30 October	KalPa	6–4	Sport		61
	HPK	0–2	Ilves		50	Shutout recorded by Anni Keisala (1)
	Kuortane	3–5	HIFK		60
	Kärpät	6–0	RoKi		182	Shutout recorded by Kati Asikainen (1); highest attended game
	K-Espoo	5–2	TPS		57
31 October	Sport	2–10	HIFK		65
	KalPa	0–4	Ilves		87	Shutout recorded by Anni Keisala (2)
	TPS	2–1	Kuortane	OT	40
3 November	Sport	0–7	Kuortane		41	Shutout recorded by Hannele Tarkiainen (1)
5 November	HIFK	7–2	TPS		72
6 November	Ilves	3–4	KalPa	OT	80
	RoKi	0–7	K-Espoo		51	Shutout recorded by Minja Drufva (1)
	TPS	3–1	HPK		30
7 November	Kärpät	1–6	K-Espoo		112
	Sport	1–4	KalPa		35
	RoKi	1–5	Ilves		68
19 November	Sport	0–3	Kuortane		45	Shutout recorded by Hannele Tarkiainen (2)
20 November	Ilves	4–2	RoKi		68
	Sport	0–6	HPK		40	No shutout recorded
	K-Espoo	5–2	Kärpät		42
21 November	KalPa	1–2	RoKi		91
	HIFK	5–2	Kärpät		85
	Kuortane	3–4	Ilves	OT	50
	HPK	2–1	TPS	SO	80
27 November	RoKi	1–2	Kuortane	OT	69
	HPK	4–2	KalPa		52
	Ilves	8–0	Sport		80	Shutout recorded by Salla Sivula (1)
	HIFK	1–3	K-Espoo		117
28 November	Kärpät	4–2	Kuortane		102
	HPK	5–3	Sport		50
	TPS	5–2	KalPa		55
3 December	K-Espoo	5–1	Ilves		46
	HIFK	6–3	HPK		77
4 December	Kärpät	6–1	Sport		86
	TPS	3–9	K-Espoo		35
	HIFK	3–1	Ilves		69
5 December	KalPa	3–4	Kuortane		75
	Kärpät	4–0	RoKi		158	Shutout recorded by Kati Asikainen (2)
11 December	Sport	1–4	Kärpät		20
	KalPa	2–4	TPS		61
	HIFK	1–2	K-Espoo		102
	Kuortane	3–0	RoKi		40	Shutout recorded by Hannele Tarkiainen (3)
12 December	Sport	2–5	RoKi		20
	KalPa	1–2	HIFK		61
	HPK	2–5	K-Espoo		70
	Kuortane	0–6	Kärpät		40	Shutout recorded by Johanna Oksman (2)

Major events

• 26 September 2021 – Ilves 3–0 TPS, Tesoman jäähalli (Tampere)
  TPS forward Maija Otamo was issued a six-game ban – the longest suspension ever handed down to a player in the Naisten Liiga – after rendering Ilves forward Emilia Varpula unconscious with two hits in the head and neck area.^[23] The hits came with just nine seconds left on the clock and less than a minute after Varpula contributed an assist to Ilves' third and final goal in the eventual shutout. Varpula was taken directly from the ice to hospital by ambulance and was ultimately diagnosed with a concussion.^[24] Following the hits, a fight broke out between TPS forward Estelle Duvin and Ilves defenseman Elli Suoranta, resulting in one game suspensions for both players.^[25]

Player statistics

Scoring leaders

The following players led the league in points at the conclusion of games the preliminaries on 12 December 2021.^[26]

The following skaters were the top point scorers of teams not represented in the scoring leader table at the conclusion of the preliminary series, noted with their overall league scoring rank:

• 22. Johanna Juutilainen (F), KalPa: 18 GP, 6 G, 13 A, 19 Pts, 4 PIM
• 25. Jenna Heitala (F), RoKi: 19 GP, 11 G, 6 A, 17 Pts, 6 PIM
• 27. Susanna Viitala (F), Sport: 16 GP, 10 G, 6 A, 16 Pts, 2 PIM
• 49. Riikka Noronen (F), HPK: 19 GP, 2 G, 10 A, 12 Pts, 40 PIM

Elisa Holopainen was the leading point scorer in the preliminaries for the third consecutive season

Goaltenders

The following goaltenders lead the league in save percentage at the conclusion of the preliminary series on 12 December 2021, while starting at least one third of matches.^[27]

	Player		Team	<	-- (PO) -->	<	-- (PA) -->	<	-- (V) -->	<	-- (H) -->	<	-- (Tor) -->	<	-- (PM) -->	<	-- (NP) -->	<	-- (T-%) -->	<	-- (PM/H) -->
1		HPK	14		7	5	493	24	2	.954	1.75
2		HIFK	12		9	3	315	18	3	.946	1.51
3		Ilves	15		6	7	462	27	3	.945	1.82
4		K-Espoo	12		12	0	231	14	3	.943	1.24
5		Kärpät	11		8	3	301	19	2	.941	1.73
6		Kärpät	9		6	3	261	17	2	.939	1.90
7		K-Espoo	8		7	0	129	9	1	.935	1.17
8		RoKi	10		4	5	351	33	0	.914	3.54
9		TPS	12		4	6	367	37	1	.908	3.05
10		RoKi	7		2	4	250	27	0	.903	4.17
11		Kuortane	10		6	4	234	26	3	.900	2.86

Vaasan Sport was the only team not represented in the top goaltenders table at the conclusion of the preliminary series. Sport's best goaltender was Oona Mäki, who played in thirteen games and recorded a .860 save percentage and 7.38 goals against average.

Regular season

The preliminary series began on 11 September and concluded on 12 December 2021. The Finnish Ice Hockey Association opted to use the points per game ranking system first implemented in the 2020–21 season to allow for the potential of cancelled matches due to the COVID-19 pandemic.^[28] Some games in the preliminary series were rescheduled, however, each team was able to play all twenty matches.

The top six ranked teams from the preliminary series advanced to the regular season, also called the upper division series, while teams ranked seventh through tenth progressed to the lower division series . The regular season began on 8 January 2022.

Standings

Official ranking

Teams are officially ranked by average points per game with ties broken by greater number of games played, followed by best goal difference, then greater number of goals.

	Team
1	K-Espoo	2.77
2	HIFK	2.69
3	Kärpät	1.79
4		1.43
5	TPS	1.31
6	Kuortane	1.15

Schedule

-- Regular Season Date Home Score Visitor OT Atn Notes 8 January Kuortane 0–5 Kärpät 1 Shutout recorded by Kati Asikainen (1) 9 January TPS 6–4 Kuortane 0 15 January TPS 2–1 Kärpät 0 26 February Kuortane 1–3 Ilves 60 Kärpät 1–2 K-Espoo 82 TPS 3–5 HIFK 60 27 February Kuortane 1–4 K-Espoo 60 HIFK 5–0 TPS 87 Shutout recorded by Iina Kuusela (1) Kärpät 2–1 Ilves 115 2 March K-Espoo 1–5 HIFK 143 Ilves 3–1 Kuortane 70 5 March Ilves 5–4 TPS 85 HIFK 3–0 Kuortane 137 Shutout recorded by Lumi Jääskeläinen (1) K-Espoo 7–0 Kärpät 53 Shutout recorded by Tiia Pajarinen (1) 6 March TPS 3–2 Ilves 60 HIFK 2–0 Kärpät 76 Shutout recorded by Iina Kuusela (2) K-Espoo 8–0 Kuortane 45 Game with largest goal difference, ±8; shutout recorded by Minja Drufva (1) 9 March HIFK 3–0 Ilves 89 Shutout recorded by Iina Kuusela (3) 12 March Kärpät 6–3 TPS 84 K-Espoo 5–1 Ilves 52 Kuortane X HIFK Match cancelled 13 March Ilves 0–4 K-Espoo 45 Shutout recorded by Minja Drufva (2) Kärpät 1–6 HIFK 86 Kuortane TPS Match cancelled 16 March HIFK 3–2 K-Espoo 145 Highest attended game 18 March K-Espoo 5–4 TPS OT 51 19 March Ilves 3–5 HIFK 110 Kärpät Kuortane Match cancelled TPS 4–7 K-Espoo 30 20 March Ilves 1–2 Kärpät OT 50 Player statistics Scoring leaders The following players led the league in points at the conclusion of the regular season on 20 March 2022. In a change from the previous seasons, scoring statistics were carried over from the preliminaries and points scored in the regular season were added to those totals.[29] Player Team 1 TPS 26 31 26 57 65 2 K-Espoo 27 29 27 56 4 3 HIFK 29 37 18 55 22 4 K-Espoo 28 26 20 46 10 5 TPS 23 17 27 44 37 6 HIFK 21 15 27 42 8 7 K-Espoo 30 18 19 37 33 8 K-Espoo 23 15 22 37 10 9 HIFK 28 18 15 33 0 10 HIFK 27 15 18 33 10 11 K-Espoo 23 7 24 31 16 12 Ilves 27 17 13 30 10 13 Kuortane 22 16 13 29 8 14 Kärpät 25 13 14 27 10 15 Kärpät 22 14 12 26 4 Goaltenders The following goaltenders lead the league in save percentage at the conclusion of games played on 20 March 2022, while starting at least one third of matches. Goaltending statistics were not carried over from the preliminaries, only statistics accumulated in the regular season were counted towards totals.[30] Player Team < -- (PO) --> < -- (PA) --> < -- (V) --> < -- (H) --> < -- (Tor) --> < -- (PM) --> < -- (NP) --> < -- (T-%) --> < -- (PM/H) --> 1 HIFK 6 6 0 113 4 3 .966 0.67 2 K-Espoo 4 4 0 75 5 2 .938 1.25 3 Kärpät 5 2 3 188 13 1 .935 2.61 4 Kärpät 4 2 2 151 11 0 .932 2.70 5 K-Espoo 6 4 2 164 13 1 .927 2.18 6 Ilves 6 3 3 196 18 0 .916 3.02 7 Kuortane 5 0 4 178 17 0 .913 3.57 8 HIFK 3 3 0 53 6 1 .898 2.00 9 TPS 7 1 6 211 33 0 .865 4.86 10 Kuortane 3 0 3 68 12 0 .850 5.73 Lower division series The teams ranked seventh through tenth in the Naisten Liiga preliminaries – HPK, KalPa, RoKi, and Sport – progressed to the lower division series, where they were joined by the top two teams from the Naisten Mestis cross-qualifiers, Alavuden Peli-Veikot (APV) and Rauman Lukko. The lower division series began on 5 February and concluded on 20 March. It was played as a double round-robin, with every team playing each of their five opponents twice. The two teams with the top points per game averages at the conclusion of the series, HPK and KalPa, progress to the playoff quarterfinals. The remaining four teams – APV, Lukko, RoKi, and Sport – proceed to the qualifiers, where they face potential relegation. Standings Official ranking ! ! Team! 1 HPK 3.00 2 KalPa 2.20 3 RoKi 1.50 4 Lukko 1.20 5 Sport 0.60 6 APV 0.50 Schedule Player statistics Scoring leaders The following players led the series in points at the conclusion of lower division play on 20 March 2022. No statistics were carried over from the preliminaries, all totals represent tallies from the lower division only.[31] RoKi forward Jenna Hietala topped the scoring charts for both goals and points, with 18 goals and 24 points in 10 games played. Slovak forward Júlia Matejková of HPK and KalPa's Johanna Juutilainen tied to lead the series in assists, both tallying 12 assists in 10 games played. Player Team 1 RoKi 10 18 6 24 0 2 HPK 10 12 11 23 0 3 HPK 10 9 12 21 6 4 HPK 10 10 8 18 12 5 Sport 9 11 6 17 6 6 HPK 8 6 10 16 2 7 HPK 8 5 11 16 0 8 KalPa 10 6 9 15 2 9 KalPa 10 3 12 15 0 10 HPK 7 5 9 14 2 11 APV 10 6 7 13 4 Rauman Lukko was the only team not represented in the scoring leaders table at the conclusion of the lower division series. Lukko's top scorer was Roosa-Maria Kangasniemi, who notched 2 goals and 5 assists for 7 points in ten games played. She ranked 28th overall on the list of lower division scoring leaders. Goaltenders The following goaltenders lead the series in save percentage at the conclusion of lower division play on 20 March 2022, while starting at least one third of matches. Goaltending statistics were not carried over from the preliminaries, only statistics accumulated during the lower division series were considered.[32] Player Team < -- (PO) --> < -- (PA) --> < -- (V) --> < -- (H) --> < -- (Tor) --> < -- (PM) --> < -- (NP) --> < -- (T-%) --> < -- (PM/H) --> 1 HPK 8 8 0 188 7 3 .964 0.88 2 KalPa 9 7 2 245 17 2 .935 1.88 3 Sport 8 1 7 283 28 0 .910 3.48 4 RoKi 7 4 1 197 20 1 .908 3.23 5 Lukko 7 4 3 159 18 0 .898 2.58 6 APV 10 2 7 358 56 0 .865 6.18 Qualification series The qualification series began on 26 March and concluded 10 April. Three teams from the 2021 qualification series returned to the promotion/relegation tournament in 2022: Lukko, RoKi, and Vaasan Sport. Promoted from the Naisten Mestis to the lower division series alongside Lukko, APV last appeared in the 2020 qualification series, in which they did not gain promotion. On April 3, Rovaniemen Kiekko (RoKi) and Rauman Lukko both amassed unbeatable point advantages and secured league positions. RoKi will remain in the Naisten Liiga for the 2022–23 season and Lukko will make their return to the league after being relegated to the Naisten Mestis in the 2020–21 Naisten Liiga qualifiers.[33] Vaasan Sport will be relegated to the 2022–23 Naisten Mestis, following four seasons in the Naisten Liiga in which they qualified for the playoffs as the eighth-seed in 2020 and faced relegation in both 2021 and 2022. APV will return to the Naisten Mestis after missing out on the opportunity for promotion for the second time in three seasons.Official ranking ! ! Team! GP! Pts! 1 RoKi 16 27 1.69 2 Lukko 16 24 1.50 3 Sport 16 15 0.94 4 APV 16 8 0.50 Statistics Scoring leaders The following players led scoring in the qualification series at the conclusion of games played on 9 April 2022.[34] < -- IMPORTANT: Rank players by Pts, then G, then GP (fewer) If there is more than 10 players, nonetheless list all the leaders --> Leading goaltenders The following goaltenders have played at least one match in the qualification series at the conclusion of games played on 9 April 2022, sorted by save percentage.[35] Player Team < -- (PA) --> 1 RoKi 2 120:00 2 0 53 1 1 .981 0.50 2 Lukko 3 180:00 2 1 88 7 0 .926 2.33 3 Sport 3 112:22 1 0 49 4 0 .925 2.14 4 Lukko 2 120:00 2 0 52 5 0 .912 2.50 5 APV 4 238:07 1 3 144 14 0 .911 3.53 6 RoKi 2 80:00 1 0 41 4 0 .911 3.00 7 RoKi W 96:55 0 2 42 5 0 .894 3.10 8 APV 1 60:00 0 1 43 7 0 .860 7.00 9 Sport 4 187:38 1 3 101 18 0 .849 5.76 Awards and honours Finnish Ice Hockey Association awards Riikka Nieminen Award (Player of the Year): Anni Keisala, Ilves Tuula Puputti Award (Best goaltender): Anni Keisala, Ilves Päivi Halonen Award (Best defenceman): Nelli Laitinen, Kiekko-Espoo Katja Riipi Award (Best forward): Elisa Holopainen, Kiekko-Espoo Noora Räty Award (Rookie of the Year): Tuuli Tallinen, Team Kuortane Marianne Ihalainen Award (Top point scorer): Estelle Duvin, TPS Tiia Reima Award (Top goal scorer): Matilda Nilsson, HIFK Sari Fisk Award (Best plus/minus): Kiira Yrjänen, Kiekko-Espoo Emma Laaksonen Award (Fair-play player): Emmanuelle Passard, HIFK Student Athlete Award: Emmi Rakkolainen, Kiekko-Espoo U18 Student Athlete Award: Oona Havana, Kärpät Hannu Saintula Award (Coach of the Year): Sami Haapanen, Kiekko-Espoo Karoliina Rantamäki Award (MVP of the Playoffs): Nelli Laitinen, Kiekko-Espoo Anu Hirvonen Award (Best referee): Johanna Tauriainen Johanna Suban Award (Best linesman): Linnea Sainio Source: Finnish Ice Hockey Association[36] [37] French forward Estelle Duvin of TPS claimed the Marianne Ihalainen Award as regular season scoring champion, amassing a staggering 31 goals and 26 assists for 57 points in 26 games played. She became the second international player to ever capture the honor, following Czech forward Michaela Pejzlová who won the award in 2021. HIFK Naiset winger Matilda Nilsson was the top goalscorer of the regular season, notching 37 goals in 29 games played and winning the Tiia Reima Award for the second consecutive season. All-Star Teams All-Star Team Goaltender: Anni Keisala, Ilves Defenceman: Nelli Laitinen, Kiekko-Espoo Defenceman: Sanni Rantala, Kiekko-Espoo Left Wing: Elisa Holopainen, Kiekko-Espoo Center: Estelle Duvin, TPS Right Wing: Kiira Yrjänen, Kiekko-Espoo All-Star Team II Goaltender: Iina Kuusela, HIFK Defenceman: Krista Parkkonen, HIFK Defenceman: Oona Koukkula, Team Kuortane Left Wing: Sofianna Sundelin, Team Kuortane Center: Michaela Pejzlová, HIFK Right Wing: Matilda Nilsson, HIFK Source: Finnish Ice Hockey Association Player of the Month September 2021: Kiira Yrjänen (F), Kiekko-Espoo[38] October 2021: Estelle Duvin (F), TPS[39] November 2021: Elisa Holopainen (F), Kiekko-Espoo[40] December 2021: too few games played due to holiday break, no player named January 2022: number of games limited due to COVID-19 Omicron, no player named February/March 2022: Suvi Käyhkö (F), Kärpät[41] External links Naisten Liiga official website

Notes and References

1. Web site: 2021-06-17. Kerholaisen kilpakiekon koti on HPK Liiga Oy – Naisten jääkiekkotoiminta liigaorganisaation alaisuuteen. live. 2021-07-06. Hämeenlinnan Pallokerho. fi. Press release. https://web.archive.org/web/20210709184236/https://hpk.fi/kerholaisen-kilpakiekon-koti-on-hpk-liiga-oy-naisten-jaakiekkotoiminta-liigaorganisaation-alaisuuteen/ . 9 July 2021 .
2. Web site: Niskanen. Anne-Maria. 2021-06-17. HPK:n naisten jääkiekko on jatkossa osa HPK Liigan toimintaa. live. 2021-07-04. Yle Uutiset. fi. https://web.archive.org/web/20210617112033/https://yle.fi/uutiset/3-11986642 . 17 June 2021 .
3. Web site: Kuivas . Eeva . 2021-06-09 . Rovaniemen Kiekko alkaa tukea rahallisesti arvokisoihin ja maajoukkueleireille valittuja naiskiekkoilijoitaan . 2022-03-24 . . fi.
4. Web site: Lainesalo. Joonas. 2021-05-27. Harri Nummela HPK:n naisten päävalmentajaksi – "Hyvä saada uusia kuvioita". subscription. live. 2021-07-04. Hämeen Sanomat. fi. https://web.archive.org/web/20210709182923/https://www.hameensanomat.fi/urheilu/harri-nummela-hpkn-naisten-paavalmentajaksi-hyva-saada-uusia-kuvioita-2007357/ . 9 July 2021 .
5. Web site: 2021-04-09. Samuli Hassi RoKistä Kärppien liiganaisten luotsiksi. subscription. live. 2021-07-04. Lapin Kansa. fi. https://web.archive.org/web/20210709184254/https://www.lapinkansa.fi/samuli-hassi-rokista-karppien-liiganaisten-luotsik/3505722 . 9 July 2021 .
6. Web site: Annala. Päivi. 2021-04-07. Oulun Kärppien naisten liigajoukkueen uusi päävalmentaja on Samuli Hassi. live. 2021-07-04. Yle Uutiset. fi. https://web.archive.org/web/20210407134815/https://yle.fi/uutiset/3-11873170 . 7 April 2021 .
7. Web site: Leppäsyrjä. Jussi. 2021-03-03. TPS:n naiset eivät kuvia kumartele kiekkoliigan pudotuspeleissä – "Mitään muuta tavoitetta kuin mestaruus ei voi olla". live. 2021-07-05. Turun Sanomat. fi. https://web.archive.org/web/20210303080811/https://www.ts.fi/urheilu/jaakiekko/5241794/TPSn+naiset+eivat+kuvia+kumartele+kiekkoliigan+pudotuspeleissa++Mitaan+muuta+tavoitetta+kuin+mestaruus+ei+voi+olla . 3 March 2021 .
8. Web site: 2021-03-19. Kokenut olympiakävijä Terhi Mertanen luotsaa TPS:n kiekkonaisia seuraavat kaksi vuotta. live. 2021-07-05. Turun Sanomat. fi. https://web.archive.org/web/20210319172436/https://www.ts.fi/urheilu/jaakiekko/5259515/Kokenut+olympiakavija+Terhi+Mertanen+luotsaa+TPSn+kiekkonaisia+seuraavat+kaksi+vuotta . 19 March 2021 .
9. Web site: Lehtisaari. Matti. 2021-03-19. Naisleijonien arvokisamitalisti Terhi Mertanen TPS:n päävalmentajaksi. live. 2021-07-04. Yle Urheilu. fi. https://web.archive.org/web/20210319185417/https://yle.fi/urheilu/3-11847691 . 19 March 2021 .
10. Web site: Koivunen. Pertti. 2021-07-28. Nicole Andenmatten Kerhon naisten liigajoukkueeseen – Jutta Stoltenberg on tehnyt jatkosopimuksen HPK:n kanssa. subscription. live. 2021-09-12. Hämeen Sanomat. fi. https://web.archive.org/web/20210729083144/https://www.hameensanomat.fi/urheilu/nicole-andenmatten-kerhon-naisten-liigajoukkueeseen-jutta-stoltenberg-on-tehnyt-jatkosopimuksen-hpkn-kanssa-2113435/ . 29 July 2021 .
11. Web site: Lainesalo. Joonas. 2021-08-24. HPK:n kiekkonaisille vahvistukset USA:sta ja Tshekistä – "Mills on erinomainen kansainvälisen tason kiekkoilija". subscription. live. 2021-08-25. Hämeen Sanomat. fi. https://web.archive.org/web/20210825034340/https://www.hameensanomat.fi/urheilu/hpkn-kiekkonaisille-vahvistukset-usasta-ja-tshekista-mills-on-erinomainen-kansainvalisen-tason-kiekkoilija-2157819/ . 25 August 2021 .
12. Web site: Pirkkiö. Jaarli. 2021-09-08. "Pystymme haastamaan kaikki joukkueet" – päävalmentaja Tuomas Liitola uskoo RoKin mahdollisuuksiin viikonvaihteessa alkavassa Naisten Liigassa. subscription. live. 2021-09-12. Lapin Kansa. fi. https://web.archive.org/web/20210909063844/https://www.lapinkansa.fi/pystymme-haastamaan-kaikki-joukkueet-paavalmentaja/3941121 . 9 September 2021 .
13. Web site: Niemeläinen. Jonne. 2021-06-21. Noora Räty palaa Naisten Liigaan seitsemän vuoden tauon jälkeen – "Pelivuoteni ovat vähissä". live. 2021-07-04. Yle Urheilu. fi. https://web.archive.org/web/20210621094547/https://yle.fi/urheilu/3-11991800 . 21 June 2021 .
14. Web site: Karttunen. Anu. 2021-05-20. Kiekko-Espoolle kaksi kivikovaa pelaajavahvistusta – liigan paras pelaaja ja kokenut maajoukkuetähti Espooseen. live. 2021-07-05. Yle Urheilu. fi. https://web.archive.org/web/20210520111508/https://yle.fi/urheilu/3-11940413 . 20 May 2021 .
15. Web site: Rautiainen. Reima. 2021-09-09. Leijonien ykkösvahdin paikasta käydään naisten liigassa hurja kamppailu – "Siinä kisaa kaksi kokenutta vahtia ja minä hieman nuorempana". live. 2021-09-12. Helsingin Sanomat. fi. https://web.archive.org/web/20210909131127/https://www.hs.fi/urheilu/art-2000008253127.html . 9 September 2021 .
16. Web site: Karhu. Ann-Christine. 2021-08-19. Tredje gången gillt för Damlejonens Matilda Nilsson: "Efter att mattan drogs under fötterna i april har jag hela tiden trott på att det blir VM-debut i augusti". live. 2021-09-12. Svenska Yle. sv-fi. https://web.archive.org/web/20210819101925/https://svenska.yle.fi/a/7-10004823 . 19 August 2021 .
17. Web site: Ruotsalainen . Annu . 2021-11-02 . Kaikki kiekkosiskoista: Katkeamaton voittoputki, Ruotsin laina ja henkilökohtaiset onnistumiset . 2022-03-24 . Jatkoaika.com . fi.
18. Web site: Rice. Dan. 2021-08-11. Beauts Roster Complete, Full Season 7 Schedule Released. live. 2021-09-12. The Hockey Writers. en-us. https://web.archive.org/web/20210811145605/https://thehockeywriters.com/nwhl-beauts-roster-season-7-schedule/ . 11 August 2021 .
19. Web site: Ruotsalinen . Annu . 2021-10-31 . Pirttijärvi jatkaa Ruotsissa – kuukauden lainasopimus sai jatkoa loppukauden ajaksi . 2022-03-24 . Jatkoaika.com . fi.
20. Web site: 2022-01-17 . «Ванке Рэйз» подписали 14 игроков из Канады, Финляндии, Швеции, США и России . "Vanke Rays" signed 14 players from Canada, Finland, Sweden, the USA and Russia . 2022-03-01 . . ru.
21. Web site: Malmberg. Henna. 2021-08-20. Sijoitukset sarjataulukoissa – Määräävänä tekijänä pistekeskiarvo. live. 2021-09-19. finhockey.fi. Finnish Ice Hockey Association. fi-fi. https://web.archive.org/web/20210827032714/https://www.finhockey.fi/index.php/ajankohtaista/sarjatoiminta/item/6019-sijoitukset-sarjataulukoissa-maaraavana-tekijana-pistekeskiarvo . 27 August 2021 .
22. Web site: 2021-12-19 . 2021-2022 Naisten Liiga, alkusarja – Sarjataulukko . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20210709191139/http://tulospalvelu.leijonat.fi/serie/?season=2022&lid=73&did=0&stgid=5527&lang=fi&page=sarjataulukko . 9 July 2021 . 2021-12-19 . tulospalvelu.leijonat.fi . . fi.
23. Web site: Sirkkiä-Jarva . Sari . 2021-09-29 . Rajuun ylilyöntiin kiekkokaukalossa syyllistyneellä TPS:llä on kyseenalainen maine – valmentajat ovat varoittaneet pelaajiaan . 2022-03-24 . . fi.
24. Web site: Husa . Mikko . 2021-09-26 . Ilveksen naisten kiekkopeli päättyi rumaan näytelmään – loppusekunneilla jaettiin 75 jäähyminuuttia väkivaltaisuudesta: "Se oli pelottava ja inhottava tilanne" . subscription . 2022-03-24 . . fi.
25. Web site: Saarinen . Joska . 2021-09-29 . TPS:n pelaajalle kuuden ottelun pelikielto väkivaltaisesta käytöksestä – iski vastustajaa kaksi kertaa vaarallisesti pään seudulle Naisten Liigassa . 2022-03-24 . . fi.
26. Web site: 2021-12-12 . 2021-2022 Naisten Liiga, alkusarja – Pelaajatilastot . 2021-12-19 . tulospalvelu.leijonat.fi . . fi.
27. Web site: 2021-12-12 . 2021-2022 Naisten Liiga, alkusarja – Maalivahtitilastot . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20220324181640/https://tulospalvelu.leijonat.fi/helpers/dwlGoalkeepers.php?dwl=1&season=2022&type=1&nop=0&stgid=5527&teamid=&FiltersGames=&FiltersRookies=0&FiltersTotal=&FiltersPeriod=&FiltersSortOrder=DESC&FiltersSortedBy=GoalieSavesPerc&FiltersSport=0&FiltersPlayerName=&gamesratio=0&levelid=73 . 24 March 2022 . 2021-12-19 . tulospalvelu.leijonat.fi . . fi.
28. Web site: Malmberg. Henna. 2021-08-20. Sijoitukset sarjataulukoissa – Määräävänä tekijänä pistekeskiarvo. live. 2021-09-19. finhockey.fi. Finnish Ice Hockey Association. fi-fi. https://web.archive.org/web/20210827032714/https://www.finhockey.fi/index.php/ajankohtaista/sarjatoiminta/item/6019-sijoitukset-sarjataulukoissa-maaraavana-tekijana-pistekeskiarvo . 27 August 2021 .
29. Web site: 2022-03-20 . 2021-2022 Naisten Liiga – Pelaajatilastot . 2022-03-24 . tulospalvelu.leijonat.fi . . fi.
30. Web site: 2022-03-20 . 2021-2022 Naisten Liiga – Maalivahtitilastot . 2022-03-24 . tulospalvelu.leijonat.fi . . fi.
31. Web site: 2022-03-20 . 2021-2022 Naisten Liiga, alempi jatkosarja – Pelaajatilastot . 2022-03-24 . tulospalvelu.leijonat.fi . . fi.
32. Web site: 2022-03-20 . 2021-2022 Naisten Liiga, alempi jatkosarja – Maalivahtitilastot . 2022-03-24 . tulospalvelu.leijonat.fi . . fi.
33. Web site: Ruotsalainen . Annu . 2022-04-03 . Vaasan Sportin taival Naisten Liigassa päättyi karsintasarjaan – Lukko ja RoKi varmistivat paikkansa ensi kaudelle . 2022-04-04 . Jatkoaika.com . fi.
34. Web site: 2022-04-09 . 2021-2022 Naisten Liiga, karsintasarja – Pelaajatilastot . 2022-04-09 . tulospalvelu.leijonat.fi . . fi.
35. Web site: 2022-04-09 . 2021-2022 Naisten Liiga, karsintasarja – Maalivahtitilastot . 2022-04-09 . tulospalvelu.leijonat.fi . . fi.
36. Web site: Mennander. Pasi. 2022-03-22. Duvin, Nilsson, Yrjänen, Rakkolainen ja Havana – Naisten Liigan ensimmäiset kausipalkintojen voittajat julkistettu. 2022-03-24. leijonat.fi. Finnish Ice Hockey Association. fi-fi.
37. Web site: Mennander . Pasi . Naisten Liigan kauden 2021–22 palkitut pelaajat ja tähtikentät . leijonat.fi . . 2022-06-20 . fi-fi . 2022-06-13.
38. Web site: Mennander . Pasi . 2021-10-01 . Kiekko-Espoon Kiira Yrjänen Naisten Liigan syyskuun pelaaja . 2022-03-24 . leijonat.fi . . fi-fi.
39. Web site: Mennander . Pasi . 2021-11-03 . Leijonat - TPS:n Estelle Duvin Naisten Liigan lokakuun pelaaja . 2022-03-24 . leijonat.fi . . fi-fi.
40. Web site: Mennander . Pasi . 2021-12-01 . Kiekko-Espoon Elisa Holopainen Naisten Liigan marraskuun pelaaja . 2022-03-24 . leijonat.fi . . fi-fi.
41. Web site: Mennander . Pasi . 2022-04-01 . Kärppien Suvi Käyhkö Naisten Liigan helmi-maaliskuun pelaaja . 2022-04-04 . leijonat.fi . . fi-fi.