Naisten Suomi-sarja

The Naisten Suomi-sarja (lit. 'Women's Finland Series'), distinguished as the Jääkiekon naisten Suomi-sarja (lit. 'Ice Hockey Women's Finland Series'), is the third-tier women's national ice hockey league in Finland.^[1] It was established by the Finnish Ice Hockey Association in 2003 and is the lowest tier of national ice hockey competition, below the premier Auroraliiga and secondary Naisten Mestis, but above regional leagues (Finnish: Naisten alueelliset harrastesarjat).

Naisten Suomi-sarja

Sport	Ice hockey
Founded	2003 (2003)
First season	2003–04
Administrator	Finnish Ice Hockey Association
No. of teams	13
Countries	Finland
Promotion to	Naisten Mestis

Season format

2023–24 season

Beginning in the 2023–24 season, the Naisten Mestis adopted the ten team, 36-game format used by the Auroraliiga. Since then, all teams not playing in the Auroraliiga or Naisten Mestis and any new teams play in the Naisten Suomi-sarja by default. The top teams in the Naisten Suomi-sarja have the opportunity to earn promotion to the Naisten Mestis in a promotion/relegation series against the bottom ranked Naisten Mestis teams at the end of the season.^[2]

Previous formats

2022–23 season

Excepting the ten teams of the Naisten Liiga, all women's ice hockey teams competing at the national level began the season in the Naisten Mestis qualifiers (Finnish: karsinta). The Naisten Mestis qualifiers, which were contested during September to December 2022, involved eighteen teams divided into three groups of five to seven teams. In the closed groups, each team played every other team at least twice. The top eight teams at the end of the qualifiers continued in the Naisten Mestis and the remaining teams filled the ranks of the Naisten Suomi-sarja.^[2]

2016–2022 seasons

With the exception of the eight Naisten SM-sarja teams, all women's teams started the season in the Naisten Mestis qualifiers. The top eight teams qualified for the Naisten Mestis regular season and the remaining teams continued the season in the Naisten Suomi-sarja.

The best four teams of the Naisten Suomi-sarja regular season earned placement in the finals of the Naisten Mestis. The other teams continued the season in the final series of the Naisten Suomi-sarja. The series winner was determined in the final tournament.^[3]

Teams

Ilves Ak

PaRa

Pelicans

TPS Ak /
Turku HC

JyKi

KeuPa

Kiilat

LL-89

MuJK

S-Kiekko

Location in Finland of teams participating in Lohko 1 and Lohko 2 of the 2023–24 Naisten Suomi-sarja season.

HIFK Ch

K-Espoo Ch

Salo HT

Location in Uusimaa (yellow) and eastern Southwest Finland (gray, left) of teams participating in Lohko 1 of the 2023–24 Naisten Suomi-sarja season.

2023–24 season

Lohko 1

• HIFK Challenger, Helsinki
• Ilves Akatemia, Tampere
• Kiekko-Espoo Challenger, Espoo
• Pelicans, Lahti^[4]
• Salo HT, Salo
• TPS Akatemia, Turku
• Turku HC, Turku

Source: ^[5]

Lohko 2

• Jyvässeudun Kiekko (JyKi), Jyväskylä
• KeuPa, Keuruu
• Kiilat, Haapajärvi
• LL-89 Red Lights, Lapinlahti
• Muhoksen Jääklubi (MuJK), Muhos
• S-Kiekko, Seinäjoki

Source: ^[6]

Teams in previous seasons

Each team that participated in the Naisten Suomi-sarja is listed by rank within their lohko (lit. 'group') at the end of the regular season.

2022–23 season

Lohko 1 Panelian Raikas (PaRa), Eura TPS Akatemia, Turku Salo HT, Salo Pelicans, Lahti[7] HIFK N18, Helsinki Turku HC, Turku Ilves Akatemia, Tampere Source: [8]

Lohko 2 Kiilat, Haapajärvi Jyvässeudun Kiekko (JyKi), Jyväskylä LL-89 Red Lights, Lapinlahti Muhoksen Jääklubi (MuJK), Muhos S-Kiekko, Seinäjoki Source: [9]

2021–22 season

Lohko 1 LL-89 Red Lights, Lapinlahti Kiilat, Haapajärvi Kajastus, Kontiolahti TeKi, Raahe JyKi, Jyväskylä KalPa Akatemia, Kuopio S-Kiekko, Seinäjoki Source: [10]

Lohko 2 SaiPa, Lappeenranta Pelicans, Lahti HIFK Akatemia, Helsinki Kiekko-Espoo Akatemia, Espoo Source: [11]

Lohko 3 TPS Akatemia, Turku PaRa, Panelia Turku HC, Turku Source: [12]

2020–21 season

Lohko 1 KJT Haukat, Kerava Pelicans, Lahti Rockets, Loimaa Uudenkaupungin Jää-Kotkat (UJK), Uusikaupunki Source: [13]

Lohko 2 LL-89, Lapinlahti KalPa Akatemia, Kuopio TeKi-Hermes, Raahe/Kokkola SaiPa, Lappeenranta (did not play) Source: [14]

2019–20 season

Lohko 1 Kiekko-Espoo Akatemia, Espoo Uudenkaupungin Jää-Kotkat (UJK), Uusikaupunki Rockets, Loima PaRa, Panelia Salo HT, Salo Source: [15]

Lohko 2 Hermes, Kokkola LL-89, Lapinlahti KalPa Akatemia, Kuopio Teräs-Kiekko (TeKi), Raahe Jukurit, Mikkeli Source: [16]

2018–19 season

Lohko 1 Espoon Kiekkoseura (EKS), Espoo Uudenkaupungin Jää-Kotkat (UJK), Uusikaupunki Salo HT, Salo Rockets, Loimaa PaRa, Panelia Source: [17]

Lohko 2 Ylivieskan Jääkarhut (YJK), Ylivieska Ruoveden Seurakunnan Atleetit (RuoSkA), Ruovesi Ähtärin Kiekko-Haukat (KieHa), Ähtäri Junkkarit Hockey Team (JHT), Kalajoki Source: [18]

Lohko 3 SaiPa KalPa Akatemia LL-89 Red Lights, Jukurit, Mikkeli Joensuun Kiekko-Pojat (Jokipojat), Joensuu Source: [19]

References

1. "Elite Prospects - Suomi-sarja (W)". Elite Prospects. Retrieved 18 June 2022.
2. Antila, Pirkka (28 April 2022). "Naisten Liigan, Mestiksen ja Suomi-sarjan pelaamistavat vahvistettu kausille 22-23 ja 23-24". Finnish Ice Hockey Association (in Finnish). Retrieved 11 September 2022.
3. Aalto, Markku (2016). "Kilpailutoiminta". Finnish Ice Hockey Association (in Finnish). Retrieved 19 June 2022.
4. Urpunen, Janne (12 September 2019). "Miksi Lahti on naisjääkiekon musta aukko?". Etelä-Suomen Sanomat (in Finnish). Retrieved 12 September 2020.
5. "2023-2024 Naisten Suomi-sarja, lohko 1: Sarjataulukko". Finnish Ice Hockey Association (in Finnish). Retrieved 17 February 2024.
6. "2022-2023 Naisten Suomi-sarja, lohko 2: Sarjataulukko". Finnish Ice Hockey Association (in Finnish). Retrieved 17 March 2023.
7. Urpunen, Janne (12 September 2019). "Miksi Lahti on naisjääkiekon musta aukko?". Etelä-Suomen Sanomat (in Finnish). Retrieved 12 September 2020.
8. "2022-2023 Naisten Suomi-sarja, lohko 1: Sarjataulukko". Finnish Ice Hockey Association (in Finnish). Retrieved 17 March 2023.
9. "2022-2023 Naisten Suomi-sarja, lohko 2: Sarjataulukko". Finnish Ice Hockey Association (in Finnish). Retrieved 17 March 2023.
10. "2021-2022 Naisten Suomi-sarja, lohko 1: Sarjataulukko". Finnish Ice Hockey Association (in Finnish). Retrieved 17 March 2023.
11. "2021-2022 Naisten Suomi-sarja, lohko 2: Sarjataulukko". Finnish Ice Hockey Association (in Finnish). Retrieved 17 March 2023.
12. "2021-2022 Naisten Suomi-sarja, lohko 3: Sarjataulukko". Finnish Ice Hockey Association (in Finnish). Retrieved 17 March 2023.
13. "Suomi-sarja (W) - 2020-2021 Standings". Finnish Ice Hockey Association (in Finnish). Retrieved 17 March 2023.
14. "2020-2021 Naisten Suomi-sarja, lohko 2: Sarjataulukko". Finnish Ice Hockey Association (in Finnish). Retrieved 17 March 2023.
15. "2019-2020 Naisten Suomi-sarja, lohko 1: Sarjataulukko". Finnish Ice Hockey Association (in Finnish). Retrieved 17 March 2023.
16. "2019-2020 Naisten Suomi-sarja, lohko 2: Sarjataulukko". Finnish Ice Hockey Association (in Finnish). Retrieved 17 March 2023.
17. "2018-2019 Naisten Suomi-sarja, lohko 1: Sarjataulukko". Finnish Ice Hockey Association (in Finnish). Retrieved 17 March 2023.
18. "2018-2019 Naisten Suomi-sarja, lohko 2: Sarjataulukko". Finnish Ice Hockey Association (in Finnish). Retrieved 17 March 2023.
19. "2018-2019 Naisten Suomi-sarja, lohko 3: Sarjataulukko". Finnish Ice Hockey Association (in Finnish). Retrieved 17 March 2023.