Lahti Pelicans Naiset
| Lahti Pelicans Naiset | |
|---|---|
 | |
| City | Lahti, Finland |
| League | Auroraliiga |
| Founded | 2020 |
| Home arena | Wemasto Areena |
| Colours | Blue, navy blue, orange[1] |
| Owner | Lahden Pelicans Oy |
| Head coach | Petteri Hirvonen |
| Media | Etelä-Suomen Sanomat |
| Franchise history | |
| 1998–2001 | Kiekkoreipas |
| 2006–2016 | Pelicans 2000 |
| 2020– | Pelicans |
 Current season | |
The Lahti Pelicans Naiset, commonly referred to as the Lahden Pelicans Naiset, ('Lahti's Pelicans Women') or simply the Pelicans Naiset, are an ice hockey team in the Auroraliiga. They play at Wemasto Areena in Lahti, the capital city of the Päijät-Häme region in southern-central Finland. The team was promoted from the Naisten Mestis to the Auroraliiga in the 2026 postseason and the 2026–27 Auroraliiga season will mark the Pelicans' debut in the Finnish Championship (SM) league.
History
Pelicans Naiset was reestablished in 2020 by Junior-Pelicans ry, a youth and recreational ice hockey association affiliated with the Pelicans men's professional team in the Liiga.[2] The new team was built on the foundation laid by the Pelicans 2000 Naiset, which had played in the Naisten Suomi-sarja and Naisten Mestis from 2006 until disbanding in 2016 due to player shortages.[2]
The reconstituted team was coached by Martti Rask, who had previously coached the Pelcans 2000 to a silver medal finish in the 2015–16 Naisten Mestis season.[3] The team practiced at SOL Arena in Lahti but their homve venue was Hollolan jäähalli (also known as HAT-areena) in neighboring Hollola.[2]
The 2020–21 season was cancelled due to public health concerns surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic after the Pelicans had played (and lost) twelve qualification games. Rask was joined behind the bench by Kari Eloranta in the 2021–22 season as the team did not qualify for the Naisten Mestis regular season after ranking fourth of five teams in Lohko 1 ('Group 1') of the Naisten Mestis qualification and continued in the Naisten Suomi-sarja regular season.
In May 2022, Janne Saarinen was announced as the team's new head coach to replace Martti Rask. Mikko Kurkela joined the coaching team and Henri Hänninen was appointed goaltending coach along with Saarinen,[4]
Under Saarinen, the team continued to generate middling results, as they did not earn Naisten Mestis qualification and finished the 2022–23 Naisten Suomi-sarja season in fourth place. They improved to a second place finish in the 2023–24 Naisten Suomi-sarja season before losing the bronze medal match in the league playoffs.
Petteri Hiirvonen was appointed new head coach in May 2024 on a two season contract. He came to the team with nearly a decade of experience across the 2000s and 2010s as an assistant coach with men's Liiga teams and having served for many years as head coach of Mestis and U20 SM-sarja teams. After stepping away from coaching in 2017, he returned in 2022 as an assistant coach in the Austrian women's national program, working with the national team and under-18 national team.[5]
The first season with Hiirvonen at the helm was an enormous success in which the team won nineteen of their 21 games in the Naisten Suomi-sarja regular season and claimed first place in the league. Pelicans went on to sweep the Naisten Mestis qualification series in the postseason and to earn promotion to the second-tier league.[6]
Pelicans entered the 2025–26 Mestis season with the goal of promotion to the Auroraliiga.[7] After achieving 25 wins in 28 games during the regular season, they beat Lukko in the playoff finals to win the Mestis championship title and earnd placement in the Auroraliiga qualification series. Pelicans then faced RoKi, the last place team from the Auroraliiga regular season, in the best-of-five qualification series and earned promotion to the Auroraliiga in a three game sweep.[8][9][10][11]
Season-by-season results
The following table lists all seasons completed by the Pelicans since the team's re-establishment in 2020.[12]
Note: Finish = Rank at end of regular season; GP = Games played, W = Wins (3 points), OTW = Overtime/shootout wins (2 points), T = Ties (1 point), OTL = Overtime/shootout losses (1 point), L = Losses, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against, Pts = Points, Top scorer: Points (Goals+Assists)
| Season | League | Qualification series and regular season | Postseason results | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Finish | GP | W | OTW | T | OTL | L | GF | GA | Pts | Top scorer | |||
| 2020–21 | Naisten Mestis Q | 6th in Lohko 2 | 12 | 0 | 1 | N/a | 2 | 9 | 14 | 55 | 4[a] |  E. Ojapalo 7 (2+5) |
N/a |
| Naisten Suomi-sarja | Season cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic | ||||||||||||
| 2021–22 | Naisten Mestis Q | 4th in Lohko 1 | 16 | 4 | 1 | N/a | 1 | 10 | 33 | 50 | 15[b] | K. Koskinen 11 (9+2) |
N/a |
| Naisten Suomi-sarja | 2nd in Lohko 2 | 12 | 7 | N/a | 0 | N/a | 5 | 51 | 22 | 14[c] | E. Ojapalo 20 (6+14) |
Did not qualify for playoffs | |
| 2022–23 | Naisten Mestis Q | 4th in Lohko 1 | 16 | 5 | 1 | N/a | 1 | 9 | 43 | 67 | 18 | M. Huvinen 13 (8+5) |
N/a |
| Naisten Suomi-sarja | 4th in Lohko 1 | 12 | 7 | N/a | 1 | N/a | 4 | 55 | 23 | 15 | J. Saari 19 (15+4) |
Did not qualify for playoffs | |
| 2023–24 | Naisten Suomi-sarja | 2nd in Lohko 1 | GP | W | N/a | T | N/a | L | GF | GA | Pts | M. Huvinen 41 (19+22) |
Did not qualify for playoffs |
| 2024–25 | Naisten Suomi-sarja | 1st in Lohko 1 | 21 | 19 | N/a | 1 | N/a | 1 | 118 | 21 | 39 | J. Sten 31 (17+14) |
↑ Promoted to Naisten Mestis |
| 2025–26 | Naisten Mestis | 1st | 28 | 23 | 2 | N/a | 1 | 2 | 108 | 38 | 74 | J. Andersson 30 (11+19) |
Won championship vs Lukko, 2–1 |
| ↑ Promoted to Auroraliiga | |||||||||||||
- ↑ 0.33 points per game; teams were ranked by point average rather than point total during the Naisten Mestis qualification series in 2020–21.
- ↑ 0.94 points per game; teams were ranked by point average rather than point total during the Naisten Mestis qualification series in 2021–22.
- ↑ 1.17 points per game; teams were ranked by point average rather than point total during the Naisten Suomi-sarja regular season in 2021–22.
Players and personnel
2026–27 roster
- As of 29 June 2026[13]
| No. | Nat | Player | Pos | S/G | Age | Acquired | Birthplace |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Jeannette Andersson | F | L | 26 | 2023 | Loviisa, Uusimaa, Finland | |
|
Mira Eskola | G | L | 33 | 2023 | Hausjärvi, Kanta-Häme, Finland | |
|
Iiris Falck | D | L | 26 | 2026 | Anjalankoski, Kymenlaakso, Finland | |
|
Siiri Frederiksen | F | L | 18 | 2026 | Turku, Central Finland, Finland | |
|
Essi Holopainen | G | L | 31 | 2022 | Kotka, Kymenlaakso, Finland | |
|
Jonna Huopainen | F | L | 22 | 2025 | ||
|
Eevi Ilvonen | F | L | 29 | 2026 | ||
|
Aada Ketola | F | L | 20 | 2026 | ||
 |
Kiku Kobayashi | G | L | 24 | 2026 | Karuizawa, Nagano, Japan | |
|
Sanna Kolehmainen | D | L | 32 | 2025 | Järvenpää, Uusimaa, Finland | |
|
Karita Koskinen | F | L | 22 | 2020 | Kouvola, Kymenlaakso, Finland | |
|
Saimi Lehto | F | L | 24 | 2026 | Riihimäki, Kanta-Häme, Finland | |
|
Elisa Lehtonen | F | L | 18 | 2025 | ||
|
Jemina Lepola | F | L | 20 | 2026 | Haapajärvi, North Ostrobothnia, Finland[14] | |
|
Lotta Leskinen | D | L | 24 | 2026 | Järvenpää, Uusimaa, Finland | |
|
Jade Mäkivaara | F | L | 29 | 2026 | Kauhajoki, South Ostrobothnia, Finland | |
|
Eveliina Nieminen | D | L | 30 | 2025 | Mäntsälä, Uusimaa, Finland | |
|
Pinja Niemistö | F | L | 23 | 2026 | ||
|
Paula Palmroos | D | L | 25 | 2024 | ||
|
Veera Paroinen | F | L | 21 | 2026 | ||
|
Janina Saari | F | L | 23 | 2022 | Kouvola, Kymenlaakso, Finland | |
|
Viivi Salmi | F | L | 20 | 2025 | ||
|
Jannika Sten | F | L | 18 | 2023 | Hollola, Päijät-Häme, Finland | |
|
Lilli Syrjälä | D | L | 24 | 2024 |
Coaching staff and team personnel
- Head coach: Petteri Hirvonen
- Assistant coach: Lauri Valkeamäki
- Assistant coach: Lucia Záborská
- Goaltending coach: Hanna Mäkinen
Team captaincy history
- Eliina Ojapalo, 2020–2022
- Iida Puttonen, 2023–24
- Paula Palmroos, 2024–25
- Mia Huvinen, 2025–26
Head coaches
- Martti Rask, 2020–2022
- Janne Saarinen, 2022–2024
- Petteri Hirvonen, 2024–
References
- ↑ "Logo/Graafinen ohjeistus" [Logo/Graphic standards]. Lahden Pelicans Oy. Retrieved 22 March 2026.
- 1 2 3 Ilola, Lauri (10 September 2021). "Pelicansin naisissa vallitsee uusi vilkas vire ja tekemisen meininki – "Suuri ikähaitari ei haittaa ollenkaan"" [There is a lively new spirit and a sense of purpose among the Pelicans women – "The big age gap doesn't bother them at all"]. Etelä-Suomen Sanomat (in Finnish). Retrieved 4 April 2026.
- ↑ "Pelicans 2000". Elite Prospects. Retrieved 4 April 2026.
- ↑ "Pelicans Naisten kaudelle 2022-2023 uudistunut valmennus esittäytyy tarkemmin!" [Pelicans Naiset's reformed coaching for the 2022-2023 season is presented in more detail!]. JuniorPelicans ry (in Finnish). 4 May 2022. Retrieved 27 June 2026.
- ↑ "Petteri Hirvonen Pelicans naisten päävalmentajaksi" [Petteri Hirvonen named Pelicans women's head coach]. Etelä-Suomen Sanomat (in Finnish). 19 May 2024. Retrieved 24 March 2026.
- ↑ "Pelicans naisten nousi Mestikseen varmistui" [Pelicans women's rise to the Mestis secured]. Etelä-Suomen Sanomat (in Finnish). 11 March 2025. Retrieved 24 March 2026.
- ↑ Rouvinen, Aleksi (26 September 2025). "Sten, 17, ja Huvinen, 35, edustavat kahta eri urapolkua – Pelicansin naisten tarina Mestiksessä on alussa" [Sten, 17, and Huvinen, 35, represent two different career paths – the Pelicans women's story in the Mestis is just beginning]. Etelä-Suomen Sanomat (in Finnish). Retrieved 24 March 2026.
- ↑ Löfman, Heikki (21 March 2026). "Pelicans pääsi juhlimaan nousua yli 700 katsojan edessä – RoKi matkaa Mestikseen" [Pelicans celebrated promotion in front of over 700 spectators – RoKi moves to the Mestis]. Finnish Ice Hockey Association (in Finnish). Retrieved 22 March 2026.
- ↑ Arkko, Simo (21 March 2026). "Pelicans nousee Auroraliigaan" [Pelicans are promoted to the Auroraliiga]. Yle Urheilu (in Finnish). Retrieved 23 March 2026.
- ↑ Lyytikäinen, Eerikki (22 March 2026). "Pelicansin naiset ottivat juhlahumusta kaiken irti – joukkueen kapteeni: "Lahti on uusi naiskiekon pääkaupunki"" [Pelicans women['s team] made the most of the festive atmosphere – team captain: "Lahti is the new capital of women's hockey"]. Etelä-Suomen Sanomat (in Finnish). Retrieved 24 March 2026.
- ↑ Hämäläinen, Tuomas (21 March 2026). "Lahden Pelicans: Nousu tuli" [Lahti's Pelicans: Promotion achieved]. MTV Utiset (in Finnish). Retrieved 4 April 2026.
- ↑ "Pelicans, Mestis (W) > Pelicans History and Standings". Elite Prospects. Retrieved 22 March 2026.
- ↑ "2025-2026 Pelicans Roster". Elite Prospects. Retrieved 29 June 2026.
- ↑ RoKi Naiset [@rokinaiset]; (9 August 2023). "SOPIMUSUUTISIA! Jemina Lepola jatkaa RoKissa kaudella 2023 - 2024!" (in Finnish). Retrieved 12 September 2023 – via Instagram.
External links
- Team information and statistics from Elite Prospects and HockeyArchives.info