2023–24 Naisten Liiga season
| League | Naisten Liiga |
| Sport | Ice hockey |
| Duration |
|
| Number of games | 32 |
| Number of teams | 9 |
| TV partner(s) | Leijonat.tv |
| Regular Season | |
| Season champions | Kiekko-Espoo |
| Runners-up | IFK Helsinki |
| Top scorer | Michaela Pejzlová, HIFK |
| Playoffs | |
| Playoffs MVP | Clara Rozier, HIFK |
| Finals champions | IFK Helsinki |
| Runners-up | Kiekko-Espoo |
| Naisten Liiga seasons | |
2024–25 →
| |
The 2023–24 Naisten Liiga season is the forty-first season of the Naisten Liiga, the premier level of women's ice hockey in Finland, since the league's establishment as the Naisten SM-sarja in 1982. The regular season began on 9 September 2023 and concluded on 18 February 2024. The playoffs began on 23 February 2024 and the Aurora Borealis Cup was awarded to HIFK Naiset on 21 March 2024.
Entering the season, HIFK were the reigning champions of both the 2022–23 regular season and the 2023 Aurora Borealis Cup.
Off-season
Dissolution of Lukko
Lukko unexpectedly withdrew from the Naisten Liiga and the team was dissolved in April 2023, just weeks after they’d successfully defended their place in the league in the 2023 Naisten Liiga qualification. Rauman Lukko ry, the team's operating association, cited difficulties in recruiting and retaining players as the principal reasons behind the decision.[1]
Lukko players were not consulted prior to the announcement. Captain Maija Koski was shocked by the news and felt that the team could have been saved if avenues of communication had been opened between the association and Lukko players.[2]
Lukko's departure from the Naisten Liiga decreased the number of teams in the league from ten to nine for the 2023–24 season. The standard 36-game season was reduced to 32 games per team to account for the four game that would have been played against Lukko.
Five Lukko players – forwards Carolina Grönroos, Maija Koski, and Amanda Julkunen, and defensemen Hanna Brofelt and Mette Karru – transferred to TPS in Turku, about 90 km southeast of Rauma. Centre Aliisa Toivonen, Lukko's leading scorer in the 2022–23 season, signed with Kiekko-Espoo.
Standings
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | OTW | OTL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Postseason |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kiekko-Espoo | 32 | 24 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 168 | 66 | +102 | 79 | Playoffs |
| 2 | HIFK | 32 | 27 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 175 | 49 | +126 | 75 | |
| 3 | HPK | 32 | 21 | 0 | 3 | 8 | 120 | 68 | +52 | 66 | |
| 4 | KalPa | 32 | 18 | 2 | 2 | 10 | 119 | 81 | +38 | 60 | |
| 5 | Tampereen Ilves | 32 | 14 | 5 | 1 | 12 | 102 | 94 | +8 | 53 | |
| 6 | Team Kuortane | 32 | 9 | 2 | 3 | 18 | 65 | 99 | −34 | 34 | |
| 7 | Oulun Kärpät | 32 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 21 | 69 | 133 | −64 | 27 | |
| 8 | TPS | 32 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 22 | 59 | 133 | −74 | 23 | |
| 9 | RoKi | 32 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 28 | 55 | 209 | −154 | 9 | Qualification |
Playoffs
- Quarterfinals
- Kiekko-Espoo - TPS 7:0, 8:1, 5:2
- HIFK - Karpat 7:2, 3:2, 4:2
- HPK - Kuortane 2:1 SO, 3:0, 5:1
- KalPa - Ilves 2:1, 2:3, 2:0, 3:1
- Semifinals
- Kiekko-Espoo - KalPa 5:3, 4:0, 2:1
- HIFK - HPK 0:1, 5:4, 5:0, 4:1
- 3rd place
- KalPa - HPK 3:1
- Final
- HIFK - Kiekko-Espoo 0:3, 2:0, 4:2, 3:2
References
- ↑ "Lukko luopuu Naisten liigapaikasta" (in fi) (Press release). 2023-04-27. https://www.juniorilukko.fi/uutiset/53177/lukko-luopuu-naisten-liigapaikasta.
- ↑ Seppä, Lassi (2023-04-29). "Kapteeni Maija Kosken Lukko-sydän murtui joukkueen lopetusuutisesta − "Aikuisten, maksavien pelaajien mielipidettä ei kysytty"" (in fi). https://www.jatkoaika.com/Haastattelu/Kapteeni-Maija-Kosken-Lukko-syd%C3%A4n-murtui-joukkueen-lopetusuutisesta-%E2%88%92-Aikuisten-maksavien-pelaajien-mielipidett%C3%A4-ei-kysytty/249559.
| Naisten Liiga seasons |
|---|
| 1982–83 - 1983–84 - 1984–85 - 1985–86 - 1986–87 - 1987–88 - 1988–89 - 1989–90 - 1990–91 - 1991–92 - 1992–93 - 1993–94 - 1994–95 - 1995–96 - 1996–97 - 1997–98 - 1998–99 - 1999–2000 - 2000–01 - 2001–02 - 2002–03 - 2003–04 - 2004–05 - 2005–06 - 2006–07 - 2007–08 - 2008–09 - 2009–10 - 2010–11 - 2011–12 - 2012–13 - 2013–14 - 2014–15 - 2015–16 - 2016–17 - 2017–18 - 2018–19 - 2019–20 - 2020–21 - 2021–22 - 2022–23 - 2023–24 |