Team Kuortane
Auroraliiga ice hockey team in Kuortane, Finland
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Team Kuortane is an ice hockey team in the Auroraliiga, the premier women's hockey league in Finland. They are based at the Kuortaneen urheilulukio in Kuortane, a small town in South Ostrobothnia, and play at the Kuortaneen jäähalli (lit. 'Kuortane Ice Hall'). The team was founded by the Finnish Ice Hockey Association in 2010 as part of its initiative to develop the ice hockey skills of young women in Finland.[1] Since its creation, approximately half of all national under-18 team rosters have been filled by players from Team Kuortane.[2][3][4] For sponsorship reasons, the team was called Team Oriflame Kuortane during 2010 to 2014.[5]
| Team Kuortane | |
|---|---|
| |
| City | Kuortane, Finland |
| League | Auroraliiga |
| Founded | 2010 |
| Home arena | Kuortaneen jäähalli |
| Colours | White, blue |
| Owner | Finnish Ice Hockey Association |
| Head coach | Juuso Nieminen |
| Captain | Sofia Kari (2025–26) |
| Franchise history | |
| 2010–2014 | Team Oriflame Kuortane |
| 2014–present | Team Kuortane |
| Championships | |
| U20 Finnish Championship | 6 (2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019) |
 Current season | |
Season-by-season results
List of all seasons completed by Team Kuortane.
Note: Finish = Rank at end of regular season; GP = Games played, W = Wins (3 points), OTW = Overtime wins (2 points), OTL = Overtime losses (1 point), L = Losses, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against, Pts = Points; Top scorer: Points (Goals+Assists)
| Season | League | Preliminaries and regular season | Postseason results | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Finish | GP | W | OTW | OTL | L | GF | GA | Pts | Top scorer | |||
| 2010–11 | Naisten SM-sarja | 9th | 16 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 13 | 22 | 77 | 5 |  S. Valkama 12 (8+4) |
Saved in relegation series |
| 2011–12 | Naisten SM-sarja | 7th | 16 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 54 | 45 | 20 | S. Valkama 24 (17+7) |
Saved in relegation series |
| 2012–13 | Naisten SM-sarja | 5th | 28 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 15 | 67 | 92 | 37 | A. Kilponen 22 (12+10) |
Lost quarterfinals, 0–3 (Kärpät) |
| 2013–14 | Naisten SM-sarja | 7th | 28 | 8 | 2 | 3 | 15 | 69 | 100 | 31 | S. Valkama 23 (11+12) |
Saved in relegation series |
| 2014–15 | Naisten SM-sarja | 8th | 28 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 21 | 37 | 99 | 15 | S. Säkkinen 10 (4+6) |
Saved in relegation series |
| 2015–16 | Naisten SM-sarja | 5th | 28 | 9 | 1 | 3 | 15 | 60 | 81 | 32 | P. Nieminen 23 (15+8) |
Lost quarterfinals, 0–2 (Kärpät) |
| 2016–17 | Naisten SM-sarja | 4th | 28 | 15 | 2 | 2 | 9 | 88 | 63 | 51 | P. Nieminen 28 (15+13) |
Lost quarterfinals, 0–2 (HPK) |
| 2017–18 | Naisten Liiga | 5th | 30 | 17 | 0 | 1 | 12 | 102 | 73 | 52 | J. Nylund 58 (30+28) |
Won bronze medal, 1–0 (Blues) |
| 2018–19 | Naisten Liiga | 5th | 30 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 18 | 111 | 136 | 35 | V. Vainikka 41 (26+15) |
Lost quarterfinals, 1–3 (KalPa) |
| 2019–20 | Naisten Liiga | 5th | 30 | 14 | 4 | 2 | 10 | 106 | 100 | 52 | V. Vainikka 52 (28+24) |
Lost semifinal, 0–3 (Blues); Bronze medal game cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic |
| 2020–21 | Naisten Liiga | 8th | 27 | 14 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 83 | 69 | 45 | S. Sundelin 35 (17+18) |
Lost quarterfinals, 0–2 (K-Espoo) |
| 2021–22 | Naisten Liiga | 6th | 27 | 9 | 1 | 2 | 15 | 72 | 104 | 31 | S. Sundelin 29 (16+13) |
Lost quarterfinals, 0–3 (Kärpät) |
| 2022–23 | Naisten Liiga | 6th | 36 | 15 | 3 | 4 | 14 | 91 | 89 | 55 | N. Tervonen 33 (13+20) |
Lost quarterfinals, 1–3 (K-Espoo) |
| 2023–24 | Naisten Liiga | 6th | 32 | 9 | 2 | 3 | 18 | 65 | 99 | 34 | R. Mustonen 15 (7+8) |
Lost quarterfinals, 0–3 (HPK) |
| 2024–25 | Auroraliiga | 3rd | 32 | 19 | 3 | 2 | 8 | 115 | 67 | 65 | S. Kari 34 (19+15) |
Lost bronze medal game, 1–4 (Ilves) |
| 2025–26 | Auroraliiga | 4th | 32 | 18 | 2 | 2 | 10 | 93 | 72 | 60 | S. Kari 40 (22+18) |
Lost quarterfinals, 0–3 (Ilves) |
Players and personnel
2025–26 roster
Coaching staff and team personnel
- Head coach: Juuso Nieminen
- Assistant coach: Alexi Salonen
- Goaltender coach: Aku Perälä
- Equipment manager: Janne Hautamaa & Tero Seppӓnen
Team captains
- Salla Tammisalo, 2010–11
- Christa Alanko, 2011–12
- Anna Kilponen, 2012–13
- Sara Säkkinen, 2015–2017
- Sini Karjalainen, 2017–18
- Kiia Nousiainen, 2018–19
- Emilia Vesa, 2019–20
- Anna-Lotta Räsänen, 2020–21
- Nea Tervonen, 2021–2023
- Jenniina Kuoppala, September–November 2023
- Peppi Virtanen, December 2023–March 2024
- Kerttu Lehmus, 2024–25
- Sofia Kari, 2025–26
Head coaches
- Jari Risku, 2010–2018
- Arttu Sissala, 2018–19
- Mira Kuisma, 2019–2023
- Juuso Nieminen, 2023–
Team honours
Finnish Championship
Aurora Borealis Cup Third Place (1): 2018
U20 SM-turnaus
The under-20 (U20) Finnish Championship (SM) tournament is a competition for the top women's under-20 ice hockey teams from across Finland. Team Kuortane has medaled at all but two tournaments since the team's founding in 2010. The championship was not held in 2020 or 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Finnish Champions (6): 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019
Runner-up (1): 2012, 2023, 2024- Third Place (1): 2011
Notable alumnae
Years active with Team Kuortane listed alongside player name.[10]
- Sini Karjalainen, 2015–2018
- Anni Keisala, 2013–2016
- Anna Kilponen, 2011–2014
- Oona Koukkula, 2018–2022
- Niina Mäkinen, 2010–11
- Petra Nieminen, 2015–2018
- Jenniina Nylund, 2015–2018
- Suvi Ollikainen, 2011–2014
- Tiina Ranne, 2010–2014
- Sanni Rantala, 2017–2021
- Eve Savander, 2014–2018
- Sofianna Sundelin, 2018–2023
- Jenna Suokko, 2012–2014
- Eveliina Suonpää, 2011–2014
- Sara Säkkinen, 2014–2018
- Vilma Tanskanen, 2011–2014
- Viivi Vainikka, 2016–2020
- Saana Valkama, 2010–2014
- Emilia Vesa, 2016–2020
- Ella Viitasuo, 2012–2015
- Kiira Yrjänen, 2017–2021
