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{{short description|Finnish ice hockey goaltender}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2021}}
{{Infobox ice hockey player
{{Infobox ice hockey player
| image = Meeri Räisänen.jpg
| position = [[Goaltender]]
| catches = Left
| image_size =
| height_ft = 5
| alt =
| caption = Räisänen with the [[Connecticut Whale (PHF)|Connecticut Whale]] in 2023
| height_in = 7
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1989|12|2|df=yes}}
| weight_lb = 141
| birth_place = [[Tampere]], Finland
| league = [[Swedish Women’s Hockey League|SDHL]]
| team = [[AIK IF|AIK Hockey]]
| position = [[Goaltender]]
| catches = Left
| former_teams = [[JYP Jyväskylä Naiset|Cats Jyväskylä]]<br>[[Ilves Naiset|Tampereen Ilves]]<br>[[Espoo Blues Naiset|Espoo Blues]]<br>[[Robert Morris Lady Colonials ice hockey|Robert Morris Colonials]]<br>[[SKIF Nizhny Novgorod]]<br>[[JYP Jyväskylä Naiset|JYP Jyväskylä]]<br>[[Suomi-sarja|D-Kiekko Jyväskylä]]<br>[[Suomi-sarja|Kiekkokopla Joensuu]]<br>[[HPK Kiekkonaiset|HPK Hämeenlinna]]<br>[[Connecticut Whale (NWHL)|Connecticut Whale]]
| height_m = 1.70
| weight_kg = 60
| league = [[2. Divisioona|2-div.]]
| team = [[Gladiators HT]]
| former_teams = {{ubl
| [[Connecticut Whale (PHF)|Connecticut Whale]]
| [[HPK Kiekkonaiset|HPK Hämeenlinna]]
| [[AIK Hockey Dam|AIK IF Solna]]
| [[JYP Naiset|JYP Jyväskylä]]
| [[Kiekkokopla Joensuu]]
| [[D-Kiekko Jyväskylä]]
| [[SKIF Nizhny Novgorod]]
| [[Espoo Blues Naiset|Espoo Blues]]
| [[Robert Morris Lady Colonials ice hockey|Robert Morris Colonials]]
| [[Ilves Naiset|Ilves Tampere]]
}}
| sex = f
| sex = f
| ntl_team = FIN
| ntl_team = FIN
| career_start = 2005
| name = Meeri Räisänen
| medaltemplates =
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1989|12|2}}
| birth_place = [[Tampere]], [[Finland]]
| career_start = 2006
| medaltemplates = {{MedalSport|Women's [[ice hockey]]}}
{{MedalCountry|{{ihw|FIN}}}}
{{MedalCompetition|[[Ice hockey at the Winter Olympics|Olympic Games]]}}
{{MedalCompetition|[[Ice hockey at the Winter Olympics|Olympic Games]]}}
{{MedalBronze|[[2018 Winter Olympics|2018 Pyeongchang]]|[[Ice hockey at the 2018 Winter Olympics – Women's team rosters#Finland|Team]]}}
{{MedalBronze|[[2018 Winter Olympics|2018 Pyeongchang]]|[[Ice hockey at the 2018 Winter Olympics – Women's tournament|Ice hockey]]}}
{{MedalBronze|[[2022 Winter Olympics|2022 Beijing]]|[[Ice hockey at the 2022 Winter Olympics – Women's tournament|Ice hockey]]}}
{{MedalCompetition|[[IIHF World Women's Championships|World Championships]]}}
{{MedalCompetition|[[IIHF World Women's Championships|World Championships]]}}
{{MedalBronze|[[2015 IIHF Women's World Championship|2015 Sweden]]|}}
{{MedalBronze|[[2015 IIHF Women's World Championship|2015 Sweden]]|}}
{{MedalBronze|[[2021 IIHF Women's World Championship|2021 Canada]]|}}
}}
}}
'''Meeri Räisänen''' (born 2 December 1989 in [[Tampere]]) is a Finnish [[ice hockey]] [[goaltender]] who plays with the [[Finland women's national ice hockey team|Finnish national team]] and [[AIK IF|AIK]] of the [[Swedish Women's Hockey League]] (SDHL).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://yle.fi/urheilu/3-10894964|title=Meeri Räisänen vaihtaa Connecticutin Tukholmaan|last=Karttunen|first=Anu|date=2019-07-26|website=|publisher=[[yle]]|language=fi|trans-title=Meeri Räisänen relocates from Connecticut to Stockholm|archive-url=|archive-date=|dead-url=|access-date=2019-08-08}}</ref>
'''Meeri Räisänen''' (born 2 December 1989) is a Finnish [[ice hockey]] [[goaltender]] and member of the [[Finland women's national ice hockey team|Finnish national team]], {{As of|2023|November|alt=currently}} playing with [[Gladiators HT]] in the [[2. Divisioona|II-divisioona]] (2-div.), the fourth-tier men's national league in Finland. With the Finnish national team, she has won two [[Olympic Games|Olympic]] bronze medals, two [[IIHF World Women's Championship|World Championship]] bronze medals, and has twice been named to the World Championship All-Star Team.


==Playing career==
==Playing career==
According to her parents, Räisänen wasn’t satisfied with watching her older brother practice ice hockey at the Koulukatu open-air ice rink in their home city of [[Tampere]], and instead hung on the boards and shouted that she wanted to go out on the ice until there was no alternative but to put skates on her feet and let her join in. She began playing with the youth section of the ice sports club [[Tappara]] in Tampere and became committed to goaltending by the age of nine. Crowded out of a goalie position on the club’s top hockey team for her age group, she switched to [[ringette]] for several years but returned to hockey. By age 14, Räisänen was playing in the top women’s ice hockey league in Finland, the Naisten SM-sarja (renamed Naisten Liiga in 2017), and practicing with the top-level boy’s teams for her age group.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Pesu|first=Vili|date=2015-12-11|title="Jotkut eivät vain hyväksy, että tyttö pärjää poikien sarjassa"|url=https://www.is.fi/jaakiekko/art-2000001049977.html|access-date=2020-09-06|website=|publisher=[[Ilta-Sanomat]]|language=fi}}</ref>
===International ===
Räisänen was selected for the [[Finland women's national ice hockey team]] in the [[2014 Winter Olympics]]. She dressed in all six games, but did not play.<ref>[https://reports.iihf.hockey/Hydra/389/IHW400000_83_39_0_FIN.pdf IIHF - Team Finland Stats - 2014 Olympics]</ref>


===Career in Finland===
As of 2014, Räisänen has also appeared for Finland at two [[IIHF Women's World Championships]]. Her first appearance came in [[2012 IIHF Women's World Championship|2012]].<ref>[https://reports.iihf.hockey/Hydra/252/IHW2520FIN_83_6_0.pdf IIHF - Team Finland Stats - 2011 World Championship]</ref><ref>[https://reports.iihf.hockey/Hydra/271/IHW2710FIN_83_9_0.pdf IIHF - Team Finland Stats - 2012 World Championship]</ref><ref>[https://reports.iihf.hockey/Hydra/339/IHW3390FIN_83_8_0.pdf IIHF - Team Finland Stats - 2013 World Championship]</ref>
In Finland's Naisten Liiga, Räisänen has played with [[HPK Kiekkonaiset]], [[JYP Jyväskylä Naiset]] and the Jyväskylän Hockey Cats, the [[Tampereen Ilves Naiset]], and the [[Espoo Blues Naiset]] winning the Finnish Championship with the Espoo Blues in 2009 and with JYP Jyväskylä in 2016.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Uusitalo|first=Timo|date=2020-09-04|title=MM-kisojen All Stars-maalivahti palaa HPK Kiekkonaisiin – Meeri Räisänen nähtäneen myös poikajunioreiden maalilla|url=https://yle.fi/urheilu/3-11528764|access-date=2020-09-06|website=[[Yle]]|language=fi}}</ref> She is a three-time winner of the [[Tuula Puputti Award]] for best goaltender in the Naisten Liiga and has also been named to the league’s First All-Star Team three times.


In addition to her career in the top women’s league, Räisänen played portions of the 2015–16 and 2016–17 seasons in the [[Suomi-sarja]], the third-tier men’s ice hockey league in Finland.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Kuisma|first=Joonas|date=2021-02-06|title=Naisleijonien maalivahti joutui kuuntelemaan alentavia huutoja miesten otteluissa – nykyisin hän treenaa poikien kanssa: "Kuin yksi jätkistä"|url=https://www.is.fi/jaakiekko/art-2000007787120.html|access-date=2021-06-14|website=[[Ilta-Sanomat]]|language=fi|archive-date=14 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210614200642/https://www.is.fi/jaakiekko/art-2000007787120.html|url-status=live}}</ref> On 29 November 2015, she and fellow Finnish national team goaltender [[Noora Räty]] faced off against each other in a Suomi-sarja game between D-Kiekko and KJT. The netminders made history as “the first women’s goaltenders to go head-to-head in a professional men’s contest in Finland” and the game was, according to available accounts, the highest-level men’s ice hockey game ever to feature opposing women goaltenders in any country. Räisänen held KJT to three goals, but D-Kiekko sacrificed two [[empty net goal]]s after Räisänen was [[extra attacker|pulled]], and the game ended with a 5–2 victory for Räty’s KJT.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web|last=Clinton|first=Jared|date=2015-11-30|title=Two female netminders make history in Finnish men's league|url=https://www.si.com/hockey/news/two-female-netminders-make-history-in-finnish-mens-league|access-date=2020-09-06|website=[[The Hockey News]]|language=en}}</ref> Reflecting on the game in an interview following the match, Räisänen said, “Now two women goaltenders have proven that they can play at this level. Noora did it first, which helped change the attitudes towards women goaltenders and made my job easier. This match was a good way to promote women’s hockey. We want to [grow the game] and be examples for girls in the junior leagues.”<ref>{{Cite web|last=Pesu|first=Vili|date=2015-11-28|title=Noora Räty: "Nyt ihmiset eivät pysty mollaamaan meitä"|url=https://www.is.fi/jaakiekko/art-2000001042987.html|access-date=2020-09-06|website=[[Ilta-Sanomat]]|language=fi|archive-date=15 September 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220915094051/https://www.is.fi/jaakiekko/art-2000001042987.html|url-status=live}}</ref> According to the boxscore of the match, recorded by the [[Finnish Ice Hockey Association]], only 70 spectators attended the landmark game.<ref>{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=2015-11-28|title=Ottelupöytäkirja: Suomi-sarja - Hyrylä 2, 28.11.2015|url=http://www.tilastopalvelu.fi/ih/gamesheet/?gid=3279&season=2016|access-date=2020-09-07|website=tilastopalvelu.fi|publisher=[[Finnish Ice Hockey Association]]|language=fi|format=PDF|archive-date=4 February 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230204015358/http://www.tilastopalvelu.fi/ih/gamesheet/?gid=3279&season=2016|url-status=live}}</ref>
===Professional===
Räisänen began playing organized hockey with the youth teams of the [[Tappara|Tappara Sports Club]] in her home town of Tampere, Finland.


During the 2021–22 season, she played in the men's U20 Mestis with JYP U20 Akatemia, a [[junior ice hockey|junior]] affiliate of [[JYP Jyväskylä]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Pennanen|first=Eetu|date=2021-06-10|title=Naisleijonien valmistautuminen MM-kisoihin käynnistyy Vierumäellä – katso leiriryhmä täältä!|url=https://www.suomikiekko.com/2021/06/naisleijonien-valmistautuminen-mm-kisoihin-kaynnistyy-vierumaella-katso-leiriryhma-taalta/|access-date=2021-06-14|website=SuomiKiekko|language=fi|archive-date=14 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210614200645/https://www.suomikiekko.com/2021/06/naisleijonien-valmistautuminen-mm-kisoihin-kaynnistyy-vierumaella-katso-leiriryhma-taalta/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Kuisma|first=Joonas|date=2021-02-06|title=Naisleijonien maalivahti joutui kuuntelemaan alentavia huutoja miesten otteluissa – nykyisin hän treenaa poikien kanssa: "Kuin yksi jätkistä"|url=https://www.is.fi/jaakiekko/art-2000007787120.html|access-date=2021-09-12|website=[[Ilta-Sanomat]]|language=fi|archive-date=14 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210614200642/https://www.is.fi/jaakiekko/art-2000007787120.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
She was selected by the [[Markham Thunder]] in the [[2018 CWHL Draft]],<ref>{{cite web |url=https://mcgillathletics.ca/news/2018/8/27/womens-ice-hockey-mcgills-atkinson-selecked-in-cwhl-draft-by-les-canadiennes.aspx |title= McGill's Atkinson selected in CWHL Draft by Les Canadiennes |publisher=McGill Athletics |author=Earl Zukerman |date=27 August 2018 |access-date=10 October 2018}}</ref> but instead signed with the [[Connecticut Whale (NWHL)|Connecticut Whale]] of the [[National Women's Hockey League]] (NWHL) as a free agent.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nwhl.zone/news_article/show/954714 |title=Finnish Olympic Team Goaltender Meeri Räisänen Signs with the Whale |website=NWHL.zone |date=1 October 2018 |access-date=10 October 2018}}</ref> In her debut for the Whale, she played across from US Olympian [[Nicole Hensley]] of the [[Buffalo Beauts]], losing 4–0 on October 7, 2018.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nwhl.zone/news_article/show/956665 |title= Olympians Hensley and Räisänen Battle as Beauts Defeat Whale, 4-0 |website=NWHL.zone |author=Dan Rice |date=7 October 2018 |access-date=10 October 2018}}</ref>


===International club career===
==Career statistics==
Räisänen has also competed at the international club leagues, most recently with [[AIK IF|AIK Hockey Dam]] of the [[Swedish Women's Hockey League]] (SDHL) in the [[2019–20 SDHL season|2019–20 season]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|last=Karttunen|first=Anu|date=2019-07-26|title=Meeri Räisänen vaihtaa Connecticutin Tukholmaan|trans-title=Meeri Räisänen relocates from Connecticut to Stockholm|url=https://yle.fi/urheilu/3-10894964|access-date=2019-08-08|website=[[Yle]]|language=fi}}</ref> The 2014–15 season was spent with [[SKIF Nizhny Novgorod]] of the [[Russian Women's Hockey League|Women's Hockey League]] (ZhHL) and resulted in Russian Championship silver and the [[2014–15 IIHF European Women's Champions Cup|2015 IIHF European Women's Champions Cup]].<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|last=Staffieri|first=Mark|date=2015-04-04|title=Finnish Goalie Meeri Raisanen Brings Finland Back to Bronze Medal|url=https://womenshockeylife.com/finnish-goalie-meeri-raisanen-brings-finland-back-to-bronze-medal/|access-date=2020-09-06|website=Women’s Hockey Life|language=en-US}}</ref>
Through 2013–14 season


Räisänen was selected in the eighth round, 41st overall, by the [[Markham Thunder]] in the [[2018 CWHL Draft]] but ultimately chose not to sign with the team.<ref>{{cite web|author=Earl Zukerman|date=27 August 2018|title=McGill's Atkinson selected in CWHL Draft by Les Canadiennes|url=https://mcgillathletics.ca/news/2018/8/27/womens-ice-hockey-mcgills-atkinson-selecked-in-cwhl-draft-by-les-canadiennes.aspx|access-date=10 October 2018|website=McGill Athletics}}</ref>
{| BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="0" width="35%"

|- ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
She joined the [[Connecticut Whale (PHF)|Connecticut Whale]] of the [[National Women's Hockey League]] (NWHL; renamed Premier Hockey Federation (PHF) in 2021) for the [[2018–19 NWHL season|2018–19 season]], becoming the first player from Finland to ever play the league.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|last=Rice|first=Dan|date=2018-10-01|title=Connecticut Whale: Meeri Räisänen Becomes First Finnish NWHLer|url=https://thehockeywriters.com/connecticut-whale-sign-first-finnish-player-meeri-raisanen/|access-date=2020-09-06|website=The Hockey Writers|language=en-US|archive-date=23 September 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200923201405/https://thehockeywriters.com/connecticut-whale-sign-first-finnish-player-meeri-raisanen/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nwhl.zone/news_article/show/954714 |title=Finnish Olympic Team Goaltender Meeri Räisänen Signs with the Whale |website=NWHL.zone |date=1 October 2018 |access-date=10 October 2018 |archive-date=24 August 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190824235502/https://www.nwhl.zone/news_article/show/954714 |url-status=dead }}</ref> She made her debut with the Whale on 7 October 2018, matching up against [[United States women's national ice hockey team|Team USA]] Olympic goaltender [[Nicole Hensley]] of the [[Buffalo Beauts]].<ref>{{cite web|author=Rice|first=Dan|date=7 October 2018|title=Olympians Hensley and Räisänen Battle as Beauts Defeat Whale, 4-0|url=https://www.nwhl.zone/news_article/show/956665|access-date=10 October 2018|website=NWHL.zone|archive-date=10 October 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181010213530/https://www.nwhl.zone/news_article/show/956665|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==International play==
Räisänen was selected for the Finland women's national ice hockey team competing in the [[Ice hockey at the 2014 Winter Olympics – Women's tournament|women's ice hockey tournament]] at the [[2014 Winter Olympics]] in [[Sochi]]. She was the primary backup goaltender and dressed for all six games, though she did not see any ice time as starter Noora Räty manned the net for each game.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20191204065617/http://reports.iihf.hockey/Hydra/389/IHW400000_83_39_0_FIN.pdf IIHF - Team Finland Stats - 2014 Olympics]</ref> She has gone on to win bronze medals in the [[Ice hockey at the 2018 Winter Olympics – Women's tournament|women's ice hockey tournament]] at the [[2018 Winter Olympics]] in [[Pyeongchang County|PeyongChang]], and in the [[Ice hockey at the 2022 Winter Olympics – Women's tournament|women's ice hockey tournament]] at the [[2022 Winter Olympics]] in [[Beijing]].

Räisänen has also represented Finland at six IIHF Women's World Championships, first in [[2012 IIHF Women's World Championship|2012]], and won bronze medals in [[2015 IIHF Women's World Championship|2015]] and [[2021 IIHF Women's World Championship|2021]]. She was named to the tournament All-Star Team in 2015 and [[2016 IIHF Women's World Championship|2016]].<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20220416171738/http://reports.iihf.hockey/Hydra/252/IHW2520FIN_83_6_0.pdf IIHF - Team Finland Stats - 2011 World Championship]</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://stats.iihf.com/Hydra/271/IHW2710FIN_83_9_0.pdf |title=IIHF - Team Finland Stats - 2012 World Championship |access-date=4 February 2023 |archive-date=24 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230124125808/http://reports.iihf.hockey/Hydra/271/IHW2710FIN_83_9_0.pdf |work=[[International Ice Hockey Federation|IIHF]] |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://stats.iihf.com/Hydra/339/IHW3390FIN_83_8_0.pdf |title=IIHF - Team Finland Stats - 2013 World Championship |access-date=2017-12-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161231165401/http://reports.iihf.hockey/Hydra/339/IHW3390FIN_83_8_0.pdf |archive-date=2016-12-31 |work=[[International Ice Hockey Federation|IIHF]] |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Career statistics==
===International===
{| border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" ID="Table3" style="text-align:center; width:40em"
|- ALIGN="centre" bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
! Year
! Year
! Team
! Team
! Event
! Event
! GP
! Result
! rowspan="95" bgcolor="#ffffff" |
! W
! {{Abbr|GP|Games played}}
! L
! {{Abbr|W|Wins}}
! MIN
! {{Abbr|L|Losses (regulation + overtime)}}
! GA
! {{Abbr|MIN|Minutes on ice}}
! SO
! {{Abbr|GA|Goals against}}
! GAA
! [[Shutout|SO]]
! SV%
! [[Goals against average|GAA]]
|- ALIGN="center"
! [[SV%]]
|- ALIGN="centre"
| [[2012 IIHF Women's World Championship|2012]]
| [[2012 IIHF Women's World Championship|2012]]
| [[Finland women's national ice hockey team|Finland]]
| [[Finland women's national ice hockey team|Finland]]
| [[IIHF Women's World Championship|WW]]
| [[IIHF Women's World Championship|WW]]
| 4th
| 3
| 3
| 1
| 1
| 0
| 0
| 98
| 98:42
| 9
| 9
| 0
| 0
| 5.47
| 5.47
| .800
|.800
|- ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
|- ALIGN="centre" style="background-color:#f0f0f0;"
| [[2013 IIHF Women's World Championship|2013]]
| [[2013 IIHF Women's World Championship|2013]]
| Finland
| Finland
| WW
| WW
| 4th
| 2
| 2
| 1
| 1
| 0
| 0
| 75
| 75:34
| 2
| 2
| 1
| 1
| 1.59
| 1.59
| .895
| .895
|- ALIGN="centre"
| [[Ice hockey at the 2014 Winter Olympics – Women's tournament|2014]]
| Finland
| [[Winter Olympic Games|OG]]
| 5th
| 0
| –
| –
| –
| –
| –
| –
|–
|- ALIGN="centre" style="background-color:#f0f0f0;"
| [[2015 IIHF Women's World Championship|2015]]
| Finland
| WW
| {{Bronze3}}
| 5
| 3
| 2
| 301:27
| 10
| 1
| 1.99
| .932
|- ALIGN="centre"
| [[2016 IIHF Women's World Championship|2016]]
| Finland
| WW
| 4th
| 6
| 2
| 4
| 346:07
| 14
| 1
| 2.43
|.921
|- ALIGN="centre" style="background-color:#f0f0f0;"
| [[Ice hockey at the 2018 Winter Olympics – Women's tournament|2018]]
| Finland
| OG
| {{Bronze3}}
| 0
| –
| –
| –
| –
| –
| –
| –
|- align="centre"
| [[2021 IIHF Women's World Championship|2021]]
| Finland
| WW
| {{Bronze3}}
| 2
| 1
| 1
| 120:00
| 3
| 1
| 1.50
| .938
|- align="centre" style="background-color:#f0f0f0;"
| [[Ice hockey at the 2022 Winter Olympics – Women's tournament|2022]]
| Finland
| OG
| {{Bronze3}}
| 1
| 0
| 1
| 40:00
| 7
| 0
| 10.50
| .800
|- align=centre
| [[2022 IIHF Women's World Championship|2022]]
| Finland
| WW
| 6th
| 1
| 1
| 0
| 60:00
| 3
| 0
| 3.00
| .850
|- align="centre" bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
! colspan="4" | Totals
! 20
! 9
! 8
! 1041:50
! 48
! 4
! –
! –
|}
Source: <ref>{{Cite book|title=IIHF Guide & Record Book 2020|publisher=Moydart|year=2019|isbn=9780986796470|editor-last=Podnieks|editor-first=Andrew|location=Toronto|pages=669|editor-last2=Nordmark|editor-first2=Birger}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-08-31 |title=2021 IIHF Ice Hockey Women's World Championship – Goalkeepers |url=https://www.iihf.com/pdf/929/ihw929000_85a_29_0 |work=[[International Ice Hockey Federation|IIHF]] |access-date=2022-08-18 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-02-17 |title=Beijing 2022 – Ice Hockey, Women – Goalkeepers |url=https://www.iihf.com/pdf/753/ihw753000_85a_26_0 |access-date=2022-08-18 |archive-date=14 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220814164541/https://www.iihf.com/pdf/753/ihw753000_85a_26_0 |work=[[International Ice Hockey Federation|IIHF]] |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Awards and honors==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! scope="col" |Award
! scope="col" |Year
|-
! colspan="2" style="text-align:center; background:#F5FCFF;" |International
|-
|[[IIHF World Women's Championship|World Championship]] Bronze Medal
|[[2015 IIHF Women's World Championship|2015]], [[2021 IIHF Women's World Championship|2021]]
|-
| [[IIHF World Women's Championship|World Championship]] All-Star Team
| [[2015 IIHF Women's World Championship|2015]],<ref>{{Cite web|last=Aykroyd|first=Lucas|date=2015-04-04|title=Knight named MVP|url=http://www.worldwomen2015.com/en/news/knight-named-mvp/|access-date=2021-06-14|website=WorldWomen2015.com|archive-date=22 February 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190222025510/http://www.worldwomen2015.com/en/news/knight-named-mvp/|url-status=live}}</ref> [[2016 IIHF Women's World Championship|2016]]
|-
| [[Ice hockey at the Olympic Games|Olympic]] Bronze Medal
| [[Ice hockey at the 2018 Winter Olympics – Women's tournament|2018]], [[Ice hockey at the 2022 Winter Olympics – Women's tournament|2022]]
|-
! colspan="2" style="text-align:center; background:#F5FCFF;" |Naisten Liiga
|-
| Finnish Champion
| 2008–09, 2015–16
|-
| [[Tuula Puputti Award]]
| 2012–13, 2013–14, 2017–18
|-
| [[Naisten Liiga All-Star team|All-Star]] First Team
| 2012–13, 2013–14, 2017–18
|-
|Player of the Month
|September 2017
|-
! colspan="2" style="text-align:center; background:#F5FCFF;" | Other
|-
| [[IIHF European Women's Champions Cup|EWCC]] Champion
| [[2014–15 IIHF European Women's Champions Cup|2014–15]]
|-
|[[IIHF European Women's Champions Cup|EWCC]] Best Goaltender
|[[2014–15 IIHF European Women's Champions Cup|2014–15]]
|}
|}


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==External links==
==External links==
* {{Ice hockey stats}}
*{{Ice hockey stats}}
*{{Olympics.com profile|meeri-raisanen}}
*{{Olympedia}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Raisanen, Meeri}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Raisanen, Meeri}}
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:1989 births]]
[[Category:1989 births]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Tampere]]
[[Category:Finnish expatriate ice hockey people]]
[[Category:Finnish expatriate sportspeople in Russia]]
[[Category:Finnish women's ice hockey goaltenders]]
[[Category:Finnish women's ice hockey goaltenders]]
[[Category:Ice hockey people from Tampere]]
[[Category:HPK Kiekkonaiset players]]
[[Category:AIK IF players]]
[[Category:Connecticut Whale (PHF) players]]
[[Category:JYP Jyväskylä Naiset players]]
[[Category:Ilves Naiset players]]
[[Category:HC SKIF players]]
[[Category:Espoo Blues Naiset players]]
[[Category:Robert Morris Colonials women's ice hockey players]]
[[Category:Ice hockey players at the 2014 Winter Olympics]]
[[Category:Ice hockey players at the 2014 Winter Olympics]]
[[Category:Ice hockey players at the 2018 Winter Olympics]]
[[Category:Ice hockey players at the 2018 Winter Olympics]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Ice hockey players at the 2022 Winter Olympics]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 2018 Winter Olympics]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 2018 Winter Olympics]]
[[Category:Olympic ice hockey players of Finland]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 2022 Winter Olympics]]
[[Category:Olympic ice hockey players for Finland]]
[[Category:Olympic bronze medalists for Finland]]
[[Category:Olympic bronze medalists for Finland]]
[[Category:Olympic medalists in ice hockey]]
[[Category:Olympic medalists in ice hockey]]
[[Category:Expatriate ice hockey players in Russia]]
[[Category:Finnish expatriate ice hockey players in Russia]]
[[Category:Finnish expatriate sportspeople in the United States]]
[[Category:Finnish expatriate ice hockey players in Sweden]]
[[Category:Finnish expatriate ice hockey players in the United States]]


{{Finland-icehockey-goaltender-stub}}

Latest revision as of 11:18, 12 January 2024

Meeri Räisänen
Räisänen with the Connecticut Whale in 2023
Born (1989-12-02) 2 December 1989 (age 34)
Tampere, Finland
Height 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)
Weight 60 kg (132 lb; 9 st 6 lb)
Position Goaltender
Catches Left
2-div. team
Former teams		 Gladiators HT
National team  Finland
Playing career 2005–present
Medal record
Olympic Games
Bronze medal – third place 2018 Pyeongchang Ice hockey
Bronze medal – third place 2022 Beijing Ice hockey
World Championships
Bronze medal – third place 2015 Sweden
Bronze medal – third place 2021 Canada

Meeri Räisänen (born 2 December 1989) is a Finnish ice hockey goaltender and member of the Finnish national team, currently playing with Gladiators HT in the II-divisioona (2-div.), the fourth-tier men's national league in Finland. With the Finnish national team, she has won two Olympic bronze medals, two World Championship bronze medals, and has twice been named to the World Championship All-Star Team.

Playing career[edit]

According to her parents, Räisänen wasn’t satisfied with watching her older brother practice ice hockey at the Koulukatu open-air ice rink in their home city of Tampere, and instead hung on the boards and shouted that she wanted to go out on the ice until there was no alternative but to put skates on her feet and let her join in. She began playing with the youth section of the ice sports club Tappara in Tampere and became committed to goaltending by the age of nine. Crowded out of a goalie position on the club’s top hockey team for her age group, she switched to ringette for several years but returned to hockey. By age 14, Räisänen was playing in the top women’s ice hockey league in Finland, the Naisten SM-sarja (renamed Naisten Liiga in 2017), and practicing with the top-level boy’s teams for her age group.[1]

Career in Finland[edit]

In Finland's Naisten Liiga, Räisänen has played with HPK Kiekkonaiset, JYP Jyväskylä Naiset and the Jyväskylän Hockey Cats, the Tampereen Ilves Naiset, and the Espoo Blues Naiset winning the Finnish Championship with the Espoo Blues in 2009 and with JYP Jyväskylä in 2016.[2] She is a three-time winner of the Tuula Puputti Award for best goaltender in the Naisten Liiga and has also been named to the league’s First All-Star Team three times.

In addition to her career in the top women’s league, Räisänen played portions of the 2015–16 and 2016–17 seasons in the Suomi-sarja, the third-tier men’s ice hockey league in Finland.[3] On 29 November 2015, she and fellow Finnish national team goaltender Noora Räty faced off against each other in a Suomi-sarja game between D-Kiekko and KJT. The netminders made history as “the first women’s goaltenders to go head-to-head in a professional men’s contest in Finland” and the game was, according to available accounts, the highest-level men’s ice hockey game ever to feature opposing women goaltenders in any country. Räisänen held KJT to three goals, but D-Kiekko sacrificed two empty net goals after Räisänen was pulled, and the game ended with a 5–2 victory for Räty’s KJT.[4] Reflecting on the game in an interview following the match, Räisänen said, “Now two women goaltenders have proven that they can play at this level. Noora did it first, which helped change the attitudes towards women goaltenders and made my job easier. This match was a good way to promote women’s hockey. We want to [grow the game] and be examples for girls in the junior leagues.”[5] According to the boxscore of the match, recorded by the Finnish Ice Hockey Association, only 70 spectators attended the landmark game.[6]

During the 2021–22 season, she played in the men's U20 Mestis with JYP U20 Akatemia, a junior affiliate of JYP Jyväskylä.[7][8]

International club career[edit]

Räisänen has also competed at the international club leagues, most recently with AIK Hockey Dam of the Swedish Women's Hockey League (SDHL) in the 2019–20 season.[9] The 2014–15 season was spent with SKIF Nizhny Novgorod of the Women's Hockey League (ZhHL) and resulted in Russian Championship silver and the 2015 IIHF European Women's Champions Cup.[10]

Räisänen was selected in the eighth round, 41st overall, by the Markham Thunder in the 2018 CWHL Draft but ultimately chose not to sign with the team.[11]

She joined the Connecticut Whale of the National Women's Hockey League (NWHL; renamed Premier Hockey Federation (PHF) in 2021) for the 2018–19 season, becoming the first player from Finland to ever play the league.[12][13] She made her debut with the Whale on 7 October 2018, matching up against Team USA Olympic goaltender Nicole Hensley of the Buffalo Beauts.[14]

International play[edit]

Räisänen was selected for the Finland women's national ice hockey team competing in the women's ice hockey tournament at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. She was the primary backup goaltender and dressed for all six games, though she did not see any ice time as starter Noora Räty manned the net for each game.[15] She has gone on to win bronze medals in the women's ice hockey tournament at the 2018 Winter Olympics in PeyongChang, and in the women's ice hockey tournament at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.

Räisänen has also represented Finland at six IIHF Women's World Championships, first in 2012, and won bronze medals in 2015 and 2021. She was named to the tournament All-Star Team in 2015 and 2016.[16][17][18]

Career statistics[edit]

International[edit]

Year Team Event Result GP W L MIN GA SO GAA SV%
2012 Finland WW 4th 3 1 0 98:42 9 0 5.47 .800
2013 Finland WW 4th 2 1 0 75:34 2 1 1.59 .895
2014 Finland OG 5th 0 – – – – – – –
2015 Finland WW 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 5 3 2 301:27 10 1 1.99 .932
2016 Finland WW 4th 6 2 4 346:07 14 1 2.43 .921
2018 Finland OG 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 0 – – – – – – –
2021 Finland WW 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 2 1 1 120:00 3 1 1.50 .938
2022 Finland OG 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 1 0 1 40:00 7 0 10.50 .800
2022 Finland WW 6th 1 1 0 60:00 3 0 3.00 .850
Totals 20 9 8 1041:50 48 4 – –

Source: [19][20][21]

Awards and honors[edit]

Award Year
International
World Championship Bronze Medal 2015, 2021
World Championship All-Star Team 2015,[22] 2016
Olympic Bronze Medal 2018, 2022
Naisten Liiga
Finnish Champion 2008–09, 2015–16
Tuula Puputti Award 2012–13, 2013–14, 2017–18
All-Star First Team 2012–13, 2013–14, 2017–18
Player of the Month September 2017
Other
EWCC Champion 2014–15
EWCC Best Goaltender 2014–15

References[edit]

  1. ^ Pesu, Vili (11 December 2015). ""Jotkut eivät vain hyväksy, että tyttö pärjää poikien sarjassa"" (in Finnish). Ilta-Sanomat. Retrieved 6 September 2020.
  2. ^ Uusitalo, Timo (4 September 2020). "MM-kisojen All Stars-maalivahti palaa HPK Kiekkonaisiin – Meeri Räisänen nähtäneen myös poikajunioreiden maalilla". Yle (in Finnish). Retrieved 6 September 2020.
  3. ^ Kuisma, Joonas (6 February 2021). "Naisleijonien maalivahti joutui kuuntelemaan alentavia huutoja miesten otteluissa – nykyisin hän treenaa poikien kanssa: "Kuin yksi jätkistä"". Ilta-Sanomat (in Finnish). Archived from the original on 14 June 2021. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
  4. ^ Clinton, Jared (30 November 2015). "Two female netminders make history in Finnish men's league". The Hockey News. Retrieved 6 September 2020.
  5. ^ Pesu, Vili (28 November 2015). "Noora Räty: "Nyt ihmiset eivät pysty mollaamaan meitä"". Ilta-Sanomat (in Finnish). Archived from the original on 15 September 2022. Retrieved 6 September 2020.
  6. ^ "Ottelupöytäkirja: Suomi-sarja - Hyrylä 2, 28.11.2015" (PDF). tilastopalvelu.fi (in Finnish). Finnish Ice Hockey Association. 28 November 2015. Archived from the original on 4 February 2023. Retrieved 7 September 2020.
  7. ^ Pennanen, Eetu (10 June 2021). "Naisleijonien valmistautuminen MM-kisoihin käynnistyy Vierumäellä – katso leiriryhmä täältä!". SuomiKiekko (in Finnish). Archived from the original on 14 June 2021. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
  8. ^ Kuisma, Joonas (6 February 2021). "Naisleijonien maalivahti joutui kuuntelemaan alentavia huutoja miesten otteluissa – nykyisin hän treenaa poikien kanssa: "Kuin yksi jätkistä"". Ilta-Sanomat (in Finnish). Archived from the original on 14 June 2021. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
  9. ^ Karttunen, Anu (26 July 2019). "Meeri Räisänen vaihtaa Connecticutin Tukholmaan" [Meeri Räisänen relocates from Connecticut to Stockholm]. Yle (in Finnish). Retrieved 8 August 2019.
  10. ^ Staffieri, Mark (4 April 2015). "Finnish Goalie Meeri Raisanen Brings Finland Back to Bronze Medal". Women’s Hockey Life. Retrieved 6 September 2020.
  11. ^ Earl Zukerman (27 August 2018). "McGill's Atkinson selected in CWHL Draft by Les Canadiennes". McGill Athletics. Retrieved 10 October 2018.
  12. ^ Rice, Dan (1 October 2018). "Connecticut Whale: Meeri Räisänen Becomes First Finnish NWHLer". The Hockey Writers. Archived from the original on 23 September 2020. Retrieved 6 September 2020.
  13. ^ "Finnish Olympic Team Goaltender Meeri Räisänen Signs with the Whale". NWHL.zone. 1 October 2018. Archived from the original on 24 August 2019. Retrieved 10 October 2018.
  14. ^ Rice, Dan (7 October 2018). "Olympians Hensley and Räisänen Battle as Beauts Defeat Whale, 4-0". NWHL.zone. Archived from the original on 10 October 2018. Retrieved 10 October 2018.
  15. ^ IIHF - Team Finland Stats - 2014 Olympics
  16. ^ IIHF - Team Finland Stats - 2011 World Championship
  17. ^ "IIHF - Team Finland Stats - 2012 World Championship" (PDF). IIHF. Archived (PDF) from the original on 24 January 2023. Retrieved 4 February 2023.
  18. ^ "IIHF - Team Finland Stats - 2013 World Championship" (PDF). IIHF. Archived (PDF) from the original on 31 December 2016. Retrieved 30 December 2017.
  19. ^ Podnieks, Andrew; Nordmark, Birger, eds. (2019). IIHF Guide & Record Book 2020. Toronto: Moydart. p. 669. ISBN 9780986796470.
  20. ^ "2021 IIHF Ice Hockey Women's World Championship – Goalkeepers". IIHF. 31 August 2021. Retrieved 18 August 2022.
  21. ^ "Beijing 2022 – Ice Hockey, Women – Goalkeepers". IIHF. 17 February 2022. Archived from the original on 14 August 2022. Retrieved 18 August 2022.
  22. ^ Aykroyd, Lucas (4 April 2015). "Knight named MVP". WorldWomen2015.com. Archived from the original on 22 February 2019. Retrieved 14 June 2021.

External links[edit]

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Meeri_Räisänen&oldid=1195120160"