HPK Kiekkonaiset


HPK Kiekkonaiset is the representative women’s ice hockey team of the sports club HPK based in Hämeenlinna, Finland. They have competed in Naisten Liiga, the premier women's hockey league in Finland, since the 2008-09 season. HPK was the first team to be awarded the Aurora Borealis Cup as the winner of the Women’s Finnish Championship in 2011.

History

A women's hockey team has competed under the parent club HPK since at least 1999. From 1999 to 2008, HPK Kiekkonaiset competed in the I-divisioona. The team qualified for the Naisten SM-sarja Karsintasarja in the 2000-01 season but lost 11 of 14 qualification games and remained in I-divisoona. The opportunity for promotion through the Karsintasarja returned in the 2007-08 season and, this time with a roster that included Meeri Räisänen, Essi Salminen, Hanne Sikiö, and Eveliina Similä, HPK was victorious.
HPK debuted in the Naisten SM-sarja at the opening of the 2008-09 season, strengthened by the addition of a number of experienced players, notably Petra Herzigová, Katja Riipi, Nora Tallus, and Vilma Vaattovaara. The team won the bronze medal match against Oulun Kärpät on a game winning goal from Katja Riipi.
As Naisten SM-sarja Champions in 2011, HPK was the first team to be awarded the Aurora Borealis Cup.

Players and personnel

Current roster

Updated 26 March 2020

Current team staff

Finnish Champions

Years active with HPK listed alongside players' names