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Ronja Savolainen

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Ronja Savolainen
Born (1997-11-29) 29 November 1997 (age 27)
Helsinki, Finland
Height 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in)
Weight 72 kg (159 lb; 11 st 5 lb)
Position Defence
Shoots Left
SDHL team
Former teams		 Luleå HF/MSSK
Espoo Blues
KJT Kerava
National team  Finland
Playing career 2013–present
Medal record
Olympic Games
Bronze medal – third place 2018 Pyeongchang Ice hockey
Bronze medal – third place 2022 Beijing Ice hockey
World Championship
Silver medal – second place 2019 Finland
Bronze medal – third place 2015 Sweden
Bronze medal – third place 2017 United States
Bronze medal – third place 2021 Canada

Ronja Savolainen (born 29 November 1997) is a Finnish ice hockey defenceman and member of the Finnish national ice hockey team, currently playing in the Swedish Women's Hockey League (SDHL) with Luleå HF/MSSK.[1]

Playing career

As a child, Savolainen played in the youth department of Itä-Helsingin Kiekko (IHK) in her home city of Helsinki, first playing forward before switching to defence in her early teens. At age 14, she was playing with a high-level boys' team but was nearly driven to quit hockey after being bullied by her teammates because they felt "girls should not play hockey."[2]

During the 2012–13 season, she played junior ice hockey with the men's under-16 team of East Hockey Club (EHC) Red Devil of the U16 Suomi-sarja and made her senior women's debut with Lohjan Kisa-Veikot (LoKV) of the Naisten Mestis.

The following season, at the age of 16, she began playing in the Naisten SM-sarja with KJT Kerava. The team had an average age of just 19 and its roster featured a number of future national team players, including Matilda Nilsson, Emmi Rakkolainen, and Noora Tulus. Savolainen scored six points in seven games during her rookie season, adding another thirteen points in eight relegation playoff games to keep the team in the top flight.

She signed with the Espoo Blues, the dominant force in the Nisten SM-sarja, ahead of the 2014–15 season. In her first regular season with the Blues, she scored six goals and 20 assists for 26 points in 25 games and notched two assists in five playoff games. The season culminated with Savolainen's first and the Blues' thirteenth Aurora Borealis Cup victory. She remained with the Blues through the 2015–16 season, posting sixteen points in 26 regular season games.

In 2016, she signed in the Swedish Women's Hockey League with Luleå HF/MSSK in Sweden, joining several other Finnish national team stars on the team.[3]

She began the 2018–19 season with a 16-game goalless streak that was finally broken when she scored a hat-trick against Göteborg HC at the end of November. She finished the season with 10 goals and 29 points.[4] After Luleå beat Linköping in the fourth game of the playoff finals, forcing a game five coming back from a 2–0 series deficit, she caused a minor health scare when she celebrated so hard that she fainted on the ice. About the incident, she later shared, "I don't think I've ever been that happy before. It was very nice."[5][6] Luleå won the decisive game and Savolainen picked up her second SDHL championship title.

In the 2019–20 SDHL season, she set career bests in goals and points, scoring 20 goals and 41 points, leading all defenders in goals and finishing second among defenders in points. Luleå made it to the championship finals for the third year in a row before the season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Sweden. and she was named a finalist for the SDHL Defender of the Year.[7]

During a game against AIK IF in early October 2020, she had to be taken to the hospital emergency ward after her leg was cut by another player's skate. She missed one match due to the injury.[8] In November 2020, along with four other Finnish national team and Luleå teammates, she forced to miss several SDHL games while being quarantined under Finnish law after a national team camp where a player tested positive for COVID-19.[9]

International play

She made her IIHF World Championship debut at the 2015 IIHF Women's World Championship and has since represented Finland at the World Championships in 2016, 2017.[10] She scored the game-winning goal in Finland's first-ever round-robin victory over Canada in the 2017 IIHF Women's World Championship.

Savolainen was part of the historic silver medal-winning Finnish team at the 2019 IIHF Women's World Championship, the first team to unseat either the United States or Canada from their perennial lock on World Championship gold and silver. She scored twice and wasn't issued a single penalty minute, despite averaging over 23 minutes of ice-time per game.[11] She scored twice and notched an assist in the semi-final match against Canada, participating in three of the four goals in the historic Finnish victory.[12] After teammate Petra Nieminen’s game-winning goal was controversially overturned, Savolainen was one of five Finnish players to take a shot on American netminder Alex Rigsby Cavallini in the shootout that resulted in the United States' fifth consecutive World Championship gold.[13][14]

Personal life

Savolainen was diagnosed with dyslexia and ADHD when she was in primary school. Her ADHD diagnosis was not a surprise to her parents, as her father, Janne, also has ADHD.[15] In March 2020, she chose to speak publicly about her neurodiversity, crediting her girlfriend, Swedish national team player Anna Kjellbin, with encouraging her to be open about her diagnoses.[16]

Along with Finnish national team players Noora Räty and Meeri Räisänen, she has partnered with menstrual cup company Lunette to break the taboo surrounding menstruation in women’s sports.[17] She has worked with Luleå teammate Rebecca Stenberg to create a Youtube channel about daily life in the SDHL.[18]

Savolainen spoke out in support of the 2019 Sweden women's national ice hockey team strike, stating that "it was very brave of every single girl who stood behind it" and that she hoped for Sweden to return to the top IIHF division soon.[19] Her solidarity was criticised by the Swedish Ice Hockey Association's competition director, who suggested she find another league to in which to play.[20]

After a Unionen report, released in January 2020, found that the average top-flight men's hockey player in Sweden earns more than the combined salaries for an entire SDHL team, she stated that "I didn't know [the fucking difference] was so big. It sucks. I'm pissed."[21] After the 2020 IIHF Women's World Championship was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, she was among several Finnish national team players who had to seek a second-job since they did not receive the usual stipend for playing in the World Championships.[22]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

    Regular Season   Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2013-14 KJT NSMs 7 3 3 6 6 - - - - -
2014-15 Espoo Blues NSMs 25 6 20 26 24 5 0 2 2 10
2015-16 Espoo Blues NSMs 26 4 12 16 10 6 0 1 1 0
2016-17 Luleå HF/MSSK SDHL 31 11 14 25 26 4 0 0 0 2
2017-18 Luleå HF/MSSK SDHL 34 5 18 23 34 7 2 2 4 8
2018-19 Luleå HF/MSSK SDHL 34 10 19 29 40 11 5 2 7 12
2019-20 Luleå HF/MSSK SDHL 36 20 21 41 49 6 1 0 1 8
2020-21 Luleå HF/MSSK SDHL 33 11 19 30 52 9 3 3 6 10
2021-22 Luleå HF/MSSK SDHL 25 6 12 18 36 12 3 2 5 14
SDHL totals 193 63 103 166 237 49 14 9 23 54
Naisten SM-sarja totals 58 13 35 48 46 11 0 3 3 10

International

Year Team Event Result   GP G A Pts PIM
2014 Finland U18 WW18 5th 5 0 1 1 0
2015 Finland U18 WW18 5th 5 2 1 3 4
2015 Finland WW 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 6 0 0 0 4
2016 Finland WW 4th 6 1 1 2 8
2017 Finland WW 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 6 2 0 2 4
2018 Finland OG 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 6 0 1 1 4
2019 Finland WW 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 7 2 1 3 0
2021 Finland WW 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 7 0 1 1 2
2022 Finland OG 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 7 0 2 2 2
2022 Finland WW 6th 6 1 1 2 8
Junior totals 10 2 2 4 4
Senior totals 51 6 7 13 32

References

  1. ^ "IIHF Ice Hockey Women's World Championship, Team Roster: FIN - Finland" (PDF). stats.iihf.com. IIHF. 5 April 2019. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
  2. ^ Nilsson, Jonathan (23 November 2019). "Ronja Savolainen om pikarna: "De är avundsjuka"". Aftonbladet (in Swedish). Retrieved 6 November 2020.
  3. ^ Åbonde, Oliver (28 April 2016). "18-årig VM-back till mästarna: "En av Europas största talanger"". Hockeysverige. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
  4. ^ Karlsson, Måns (30 November 2018). "Nollad genom hela säsongen – i kväll satte hon ett hattrick". HockeySverige (in Swedish). Retrieved 7 November 2020.
  5. ^ Skoglund, Henrik (20 March 2019). "Landslagsbacken svimmade vid målfirandet". HockeySverige (in Swedish). Retrieved 7 November 2020.
  6. ^ Nilsson, Jonathan; Bergström, Kristoffer (20 March 2019). "Hon svimmar – av sitt eget segervrål". Aftonbladet (in Swedish). Retrieved 7 November 2020.
  7. ^ Kågström, Rasmus (20 May 2020). "De kan prisas som säsongens back i SDHL". HockeySverige (in Swedish). Retrieved 7 November 2020.
  8. ^ Karlsson, Mattias (5 October 2020). "Luleå-stjärnans otäcka skada: "Jag fick panik"". Aftonbladet (in Swedish). Retrieved 7 November 2020.
  9. ^ Kågström, Rasmus (9 November 2020). "Luleåstjärnorna fast i Finland – satta i karantän". HockeySverige (in Swedish). Retrieved 12 April 2021.
  10. ^ 2015 IIHF World Championship roster Archived 13 February 2018 at the Wayback Machine
  11. ^ Murphy, Mike (13 August 2020). "2020 Top 25 Under 25 | No. 13, 14: Kelly Pannek, Ronja Savolainen". The Ice Garden. Retrieved 7 November 2020.
  12. ^ Spencer, Donna (13 April 2019). "Canada stunned by Finland, won't play for women's hockey world title for 1st time". CBC Sports. Retrieved 7 November 2020.
  13. ^ "US women win fifth straight world hockey title in controversial finish". Boston.com. 14 April 2019. Retrieved 7 November 2020.
  14. ^ Weiswerda, Brennin (14 April 2019). "Controversial goalie-interference call costs Finland gold medal, USA wins in shootout". RMNB. Retrieved 7 November 2020.
  15. ^ Nyman, Marianne (16 March 2020). ""Ronja, nu får du faktiskt vara tyst och inte lägga din energi på fel saker" – damlejonet Ronja Savolainens adhd märks i både omklädningsrummet och rinken". Svenska Yle (in Swedish). Retrieved 6 November 2020.
  16. ^ Leinonen, Tiina (7 March 2020). "Huippupuolustaja Ronja Savolainen pelaa rajusti, mutta rauhoittuu, kun vastapuolella on oma rakas: "Annan ollessa jäällä saatan varoa, etten ainakaan satuttaisi"". Yle (in Finnish). Retrieved 6 November 2020.
  17. ^ Aykroyd, Lucas (26 August 2019). "Finnish hockey players shutting out the 'bloody taboo'". Global Sport Matters. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
  18. ^ Aykroyd, Lucas (25 August 2019). "Savolainen eyes the future". International Ice Hockey Federation. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
  19. ^ Dahlberg, Tobias (24 April 2020). "Finska stjärnan: "Kanske kommer in någon som ger dem vad de förtjänar"". SVT Sport (in Swedish). Retrieved 6 November 2020.
  20. ^ Grönholm, Felicia (7 May 2019). "Ronja Savolainen ger svar på tal åt hockeychefen – "Han får säga vad han vill, jag tänker ändå spela här"". Svenska Yle (in Swedish). Retrieved 6 November 2020.
  21. ^ Lindgren, Robin (21 January 2020). "Stjärnan: "Det suger – nu blev jag förbannad"". Expressen (in Swedish). Retrieved 6 November 2020.
  22. ^ Norberg, Simon (10 March 2020). "Stjärnan tvingas söka sommarjobb på grund av coronaviruset". SVT Sport (in Swedish). Retrieved 6 November 2020.
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