Vaasan Sport Naiset
 | This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (September 2019) |
| Vaasan Sport Naiset | |
|---|---|
 | |
| City | Vaasa, Ostrobothnia, Finland |
| League | Naisten Liiga |
| Founded | 1983 |
| Home arena | Vaasan Sähkö Areena |
| Colours | Red, black, white |
| General manager | Ove Kvist |
| Head coach | Marko Haapala |
| Captain | Pauliina Suoniemi |
| Parent club(s) | Vaasan Sportin Juniorit Ry |
| Farm club(s) | Hermes |
| Website | juniorsport.fi |
 | |
Vaasan Sport Naiset is a women’s ice hockey team based in Vaasa, Finland. They play in the Naisten Liiga, the premier women's hockey league in Finland.
History
The women’s representative team of Vaasan Sport debuted in the Naisten SM-sarja, predecessor of the Naisten Liiga, in the 1983–84 season. Sport quickly established themselves as a competitive team, finishing in the top half of the league during their first five seasons and achieving Finnish Championship bronze in 1986. The 1988–89 season was the first time the team finished in the bottom of the league, ranking seventh of eight teams. Following the disappointing season, the team was financially relegated.
Vaasan Sport gained promotion to the SM-sarja in 1993 but the team struggled with the high level of competition and finished in last place. They were able to stave off relegation in the 1993–94 qualifiers but were unable to do so in the following season and were relegated to the Naisten I-divisioona (renamed Naisten Mestis in 2012) in 1995.[1]
In the following two decades, Vaasan Sport played in either the second-tier I-divisioona or third-tier Naisten II-divisioona (renamed Naisten Suomi-sarja in 2003). The team spent at least seven consecutive seasons in the Suomi-sarja prior to their return to the Mestis in the 2015–16 season. The return to Mestis marked a positive shift in the performance of the team and they continued to markedly improve over the ensuing seasons, culminating in their promotion to the Naisten Liiga for the 2018–19 season.[2]
Players and personnel
2020–21 roster
2020–21 coaching staff
- Head Coach: Marko Haapala
- Assistant Coach: Susanne Uppgård
- Goaltending Coach: Vesa Perkiö
- Equipment Manager: Mika Myllyniemi
Team captaincy history
- Susanne Uppgård, 2015–2016 Mestis
- Elina Ojala, 2016–2020
- Pauliina Suoniemi, 2020–present
Head coaches
- Ove Kvist, 2013–2017
- Mika Nummi, 2017–2019
- Marko Haapala, 2019–present
Team honours
Finnish Championship
Naisten Liiga Third Place (1): 1986
Notable alumni
Years active with Sport listed alongside players' names.
Sari Krooks, 1983–1989 & 1993–94- Hanna Hakala, 1986–1988
- Tiina Suominen, 1986–1988
- Ida Kuoppala, 2017–2019
References
- ^ Suomen Jääkiekkoliitto; Liiga. Aaltonen, Juha (ed.). Jääkiekkokirja 2019–2020 (PDF) (in Finnish). Helsinki: Uusi Suomi/Kiekkolehti. ISSN 0784-3321. OCLC 476321083.
- ^ Terhi, Varjonen (3 December 2018). "Naisten liigauntuvikko Sport tykkää vauhdista ja haasteista" (in Finnish). Yle. Retrieved 5 September 2020.
- ^ "Joukkueet: Naiset - Joukkue". Vaasan Sportin Juniorit Ry (in Finnish). Retrieved 5 September 2020.
- ^ "Liiga (W): Sport, 2020-2021 Roster". eliteprospects.com. Retrieved 21 November 2020.
External links
- Team information and statistics from Eliteprospects.com and Eurohockey.com
- Official site (in Finnish)
- Vaasan Sport Naiset on Instagram
- Vaasan Sport Naiset on X
