2024 Aurora Borealis Cup playoffs

The 2024 Aurora Borealis Cup playoffs or the 2024 Naisten Liiga playoffs (Finnish: Naisten Liiga pudotuspelit 2024) is the postseason tournament of the 2023–24 season of the Naisten Liiga. The tournament began on 23 February and the Aurora Borealis Cup was awarded to HIFK Helsinki on 21 March 2024.

2024 Aurora Borealis Cup playoffs

Naisten Liiga pudotuspelit 2024 (Finnish) 2024 Naisten Liiga playoffs
Tournament details
Dates	23 February 2024 (2024-02-23)–21 March 2024 (2024-03-21)
Format	Best-of-five
Teams	8
Defending champions	HIFK Helsinki
Final positions
Champions	HIFK Helsinki (2nd title)
Runner-up	Kiekko-Espoo
Third place	KalPa Kuopio
Fourth place	HPK Hämeenlinna
Tournament statistics
Games played	25
Goals scored	124 (4.96 per game)
Attendance	5,040 (202 per game)
Scoring leader(s)	Emma Nuutinen (15)
MVP	Clara Rozier

HIFK were the reigning Aurora Borealis Cup champions after winning the 2023 Naisten Liiga playoffs. At the conclusion of the 2023–24 regular season, Kiekko-Espoo and HIFK were favorites for the 2024 Aurora Borealis Cup finals.

Bracket

As of 21 March 2024

	Quarterfinals									Semifinals									Finals
	1	Kiekko-Espoo	7	8	5	–	3
	8	TPS Turku	0	1	2	–	0
										Kiekko-Espoo		5	4	2	–	3
										KalPa Kuopio		3	0	1	–	0
	4	KalPa Kuopio	2	2	2	2	3
	5	Ilves Tampere	1	3	0	1	1
																				Kiekko-Espoo	3	0	2	2	1
																				HIFK Helsinki	0	2	4	3	3
	2	HIFK Helsinki	7	3	4	–	3
	7	Kärpät Oulu	2	1	2	–	0
										HIFK Helsinki		0	5	5	4	3			Bronze medal game
										HPK Hämeenlinna		1	4	0	1	1
	3	HPK Hämeenlinna	2	3	5	–	3													KalPa Kuopio	3
	6	Team Kuortane	1	0	1	–	0												4	HPK Hämeenlinna	1

Season reviews

HIFK

HIFK Helsinki placed second in the regular season, despite having a greater number of games won than first place Kiekko-Espoo, as the result of a six point deduction issued by the disciplinary committee of the Finnish Ice Hockey Association. The penalty was incurred after it was identified that necessary international transfer documents had not been submitted ahead of the 2022–23 Naisten Liiga season for Michaela Pejzlová. Though the team finished in second place, HIFK players topped the league charts in nearly every major metric. Czech centre Michaela Pejzlová won the Marianne Ihalainen Award as the league point leader for the second consecutive season, with 71 points in 24 games, and she also led all players in assists (41).

Pejzlová was not the team's only offensive powerhouse, as four of the league's top-five point leaders were HIFK players.

HPK

HPK Hämeenlinna finished the season in third place after amassing 66 points and earning a goal difference of +52. The team achieved their best end-of-season rank in eight seasons as the result of excellent goaltending and quality depth scoring. Alternate captain Kiti Seikkula led HPK in points and goals, with 22 goals and 45 points in 31 games. Her point total was followed by Slovak forward Júlia Matejková's 16 goals and 22 points in 29 games and Czech left winger Tereza Pištěková's 24 assists and 35 points in 32 games. The three linemates ranked tenth, twelfth, and thirteenth on the league scoring table, respectively, and Seikkula was eighth in the league for goals scored. An additional three HPK players – right winger Ines Lukkarila, center Ella Välikangas, and defenseman Heta Seikkula – exceeded the twenty-point mark and another two players – Czech winger Barbora Juříčková and defenseman Oona Koukkula – earned 19 points on the season.

Both parts of HPK's goaltender tandem, Eline Gabriele and Janika Järvikari, ranked in the league's top-five of net minders playing at least one-third of their team's minutes for both save percentage and goals against average. Gabriele played half of HPK's games and recorded a very good 91.3 save percentage and solid 1.94 GAA, while Järvikari recorded a sublime 93.1 save percentage and league-leading 1.42 GAA. Canadian goaltender Kassidy Sauvé, who had masterfully backstopped the team during the 2022 Aurora Borealis Cup playoffs, signed with HPK in December 2023 and played in six regular season games during January and February, amassing a shaky 88.0 save percentage during that time.

KalPa

KalPa Kuopio finished the regular season ranked fourth in the league, with 60 points and a goal difference of +38. Star left winger Elisa Holopainen tallied 57 points despite missing all of September and most of October while rehabilitating from a major leg injury. Her 32 goals and 25 assists in nineteen games led all KalPa players in points and goals. Captain Johanna Juutilainen led the team in assists (26) and she ended the season with 46 points in 32 games. Other notable contributors to KalPa’s scoring were defenseman Sanni Rantala, who notched 34 points (13+21) in 30 games, and forward Tilli Keränen, who recorded a career-best 30 points (14+16) in 28 games.

Goaltender Tiina Ranne led the league in time on ice, with nearly 1,235 minutes in net, and her 21 games played tied Olivia Last of TPS for most played. Her 90.2 save percentage ranked ninth of all goaltenders playing at least one-third of their team's minutes and her 2.53 goals against average ranked seventh. Backup net-minders Aino Laitinen and Jenna Juutilainen recorded save percentages of 91.2 in eight games and 89.9 in four games, respectively.

Ilves

For the second consecutive season, Ilves Tampere amassed 59 points and were seeded fifth at the conclusion of the regular season. The team's +8 goal difference was one goal higher than their +7 for the 2022–23 season. Alternate captain Anniina Kaitala led the team in both goals (21) and points (34), and her eight power play goals ranked first in the league. First line centre Emilia Varpula was Ilves' assist leader, recording 27 assists and 33 points in 31 games, and alternate captain Helen Puputti notched 32 points (13+19) in 31 games. Elli Suoranta was the top scoring defender for Ilves, tallying 28 points (13+15) in 27 games.

Team Kuortane

For the third consecutive season, Team Kuortane placed sixth in the league. The team struggled to score throughout the season and were shutout in ten games during the 32-game season, ultimately recording a –34 goal difference. Raili Mustonen led the team in points, scoring 7 goals and 15 points in 30 games, and ranked 51st on the league scoring table. Sofia Kari was Kuortane's leading goal scorer, with 9 goals and 14 points in 31 games, and Aino Krook led the team in assists, with 11 assists and 14 points in 32 games.

Emilia Kyrkkö, the 2022–23 Naisten Liiga Goaltender of the Year, was limited to six games of the 2023–24 season due to injury, leaving the starting net-minder position vacant. Early in the season, goalie Venla Varis suffered a season-ending injury and Kuortane's other two backup goaltenders – Lilia Huovinen and Kerttu Kuja-Halkola – scrambled to perform on a consistent basis. As the season progressed, Kuja-Halkola steadily improved from an 88.7 save percentage at the end of September to a team-leading 91.2 save percentage by season's end – for which she was recognized with selection to the Naisten Liiga All-Star second team.

Quarterfinals

The best-of-five quarterfinals (Finnish: puolivälierät) began on Friday, 23 February and concluded on Sunday, 3 March. The top eight teams from the regular season qualified for the quarterfinal round. In three of the four series, home ice advantage was granted to the higher seeded teams for the first, third, and fifth games.

(1) K-Espoo vs. (8) TPS

All times local, Eastern European Time (UTC+2)

24 February 2024 15:15

Kiekko-Espoo

7–0 (0–0, 4–0, 3–0)

TPS Turku

Tapiola 2, Espoo Attendance: 101

	Tiia Pajarinen	Goalies	Olivia Last	Referee: Reetta-Kaisa Lusi Linesmen: Ilona Silander Salla-Maaria Raitala
	Täks (Nuutinen, Schalin) – 21:12 1–0 Täks (Haukijärvi, Eronen) – 28:27 2–0 Haukijärvi (Eronen, Schalin) – 31:13 3–0 Täks (Tuominen) – 36:04 4–0 Talvitie (Zielińska) – 41:33 5–0 Valkjärvi (Nuutinen, Toivonen) – 43:43 6–0 Villilä (Tuominen, Nuutinen) (PP) – 55:43 7–0
	6 min	Penalties	6 min
	71	Shots	7

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25 February 2024 14:50

TPS Turku

1–8 (0–2, 1–5, 0–1)

Kiekko-Espoo

Kupittaa, Turku Attendance: 70

	Suvi Saarinen	Goalies	Minja Drufva	Referee: Tuomas Tilkanen Linesmen: Valtteri Jokinen Max Kaituri
	0–1 18:55 – Katajamäki (Nuutinen, Toivonen) 0–2 19:33 – Schalin (Villilä, Eronen) Viitala (Narovcová, Ilvonen) – 21:55 1–2 1–3 25:30 – Tuominen (Valkjärvi, Nuutinen) 1–4 28:34 – Täks (Eronen, Haukijärvi) 1–5 30:07 – Nuutinen (Tuominen) 1–6 33:25 – Eronen (Schalin) 1–7 37:06 – Täks (Tuominen) 1–8 59:35 – Lehtopelto (Zielińska, Talvitie)
	2 min	Penalties	2 min
	12	Shots	71

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29 February 2024 18:45

Kiekko-Espoo

5–2 (1–0, 1–1, 3–1)

TPS Turku

Tapiola 2, Espoo Attendance: 111

	Tiia Pajarinen	Goalies	Olivia Last	Referee: Reetta-Kaisa Lusi Linesmen: Ilona Silander Salla-Maaria Raitala
	Nuutinen – 13:56 1–0 1–1 20:31 – Karru (Viitala, Ilvonen) (PP) Täks (Villilä, Schalin) – 22:40 2–1 Haukijärvi (Eronen) – 52:20 3–1 Talvitie (Schalin, Lehtopelto) – 54:12 4–1 Nuutinen (Zielińska, Toivonen) – 55:29 5–1 5–2 58:42 – Kangas (Ilvonen)
	4 min	Penalties	6 min
	44	Shots	8

(2) HIFK vs. (7) Kärpät

All times local, Eastern European Time (UTC+2)

24 February 2024 14:30

HIFK Helsinki

7–2 (1–1, 3–1, 3–0)

Kärpät Oulu

Pirkkola, Helsinki Attendance: 182

	Kiia Lahtinen	Goalies	Emilia Piekkari	Referee: Henna Åberg Linesmen: Juuso Simula Helinä Anttila
	Vanhanen (Rozier) – 09:45 1–0 1–1 14:22 – Siermala (Hautala, Ekoluoma) (PP) Salonen (Vanhanen, Rozier) – 20:14 2–1 2–2 22:18 – Hulanmäki (Korpi-Halkola) Liikala (Pere, Huotari) – 28:57 3–2 Vanhanen – 39:15 4–2 Liikala (Suhonen) – 40:57 5–2 Palin (Liikala, Rantamäki) – 51:42 6–2 Rozier (Vanhanen, Locatelli) – 56:03 7–2
	4 min	Penalties	2 min
	36	Shots	10

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25 February 2024 15:00

HIFK Helsinki

3–2 (2–0, 0–1, 1–1)

Kärpät Oulu

Pirkkola, Helsinki Attendance: 192

	Kiia Lahtinen	Goalies	Kati Asikainen	Referee: Henna Åberg Linesmen: Ilona Silander Helinä Anttila
	Rozier – 02:57 1–0 Rozier (Vanhanen, Salonen) – 07:39 2–0 2–1 35:17 – Antti-Roiko (Ylitalo, Pitkänen) (PP) 2–2 46:46 – Ylitalo (Antti-Roiko, Kaijankoski) Yrjölä (Rantamäki, Liikala) – 48:37 3–2
	8 min	Penalties	2 min
	37	Shots	14

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29 February 2024 18:15

Kärpät Oulu

2–4 (1–1, 0–0, 1–3)

HIFK Helsinki

Raksila, Oulu Attendance: 207

	Kati Asikainen	Goalies	Kiia Lahtinen	Referee: Juuso Herranen Linesmen: Sami Väisänen Pietu Mustonen
	Ekoluoma (Antti-Roiko, Kylmäaho) – 02:15 1–0 1–1 17:05 – Rozier (Yrjölä, Rantamäki) (VR) Ekoluoma (Hautala) (DP) – 44:34 2–1 2–2 44:58 – Salonen (Vanhanen) 2–3 56:02 – Liikala (Vanhanen, Yrjölä) 2–4 56:53 – Vanhanen (Liikala)
	4 min	Penalties	4 min
	18	Shots	35

(3) HPK vs. (6) Kuortane

HPK swept the season series with Team Kuortane, winning all four games in regulation.

The teams' last playoff meeting was in the 2020 Aurora Borealis Cup quarterfinals, which Team Kuortane won in five games.

All times local, Eastern European Time (UTC+2)

24 February 2024 14:00

HPK Hämeenlinna

2–1 GWS (0–0, 1–1, 0–0) (OT: 0–0) (SO: 1–0)

Team Kuortane

Hämeenlinnan harjoitushalli, Hämeenlinna Attendance: 130

	Kassidy Sauvé	Goalies	Emilia Kyrkkö	Referee: Ilpo Lehtimäki Linesmen: Aapo Hautakangas Lauri Kangaspusu
	Mäkivaara (Koukkula) – 21:45 1–0 1–1 35:41 – Kokora (Tarkiainen)
	Mäkivaara K. Seikkula Pištěková Matejková H. Seikkula	Shootout	Virtanen Kari Krook Mustonen Byskata
	6 min	Penalties	8 min
	39	Shots	32

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25 February 2024 15:00

Team Kuortane

0–3 (0–1, 0–1, 0–1)

HPK Hämeenlinna

Kuortaneen jäähalli, Kuortane Attendance: 95

	Emilia Kyrkkö	Goalies	Kassidy Sauvé	Referee: Tiina Saarimäki Linesmen: Niko Kalliolepo Lassi Mukkala
	0–1 14:32 – Pištěková (Matejková) (PP) 0–2 35:29 – Juříčková (Vaníčková, Wilkman) 0–3 49:20 – Pištěková (K. Seikkula, Wilkman) (SH)
	6 min	Penalties	4 min
	23	Shots	22

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28 February 2024 18:45

HPK Hämeenlinna

5–1 (2–0, 0–1, 3–0)

Team Kuortane

Hämeenlinnan harjoitushalli, Hämeenlinna Attendance: 90

	Kassidy Sauvé	Goalies	Emilia Kyrkkö	Referee: Tiina Saarimäki Linesmen: Joni Kivistö Jarno Kuokkanen
	Matejková (Pištěková, K. Seikkula) – 09:37 1–0 K. Seikkula (Pištěková, Matejková) (PP) – 19:13 2–0 2–1 24:30 – Mustonen (Tarkiainen, Lehmus) (PP2) Välikangas (Mäkivaara, Lukkarila) – 54:04 3–1 H. Seikkula (Pištěková) (EN) – 58:27 4–1 K. Seikkula (Pištěková, H. Seikkula) (SH, EN) – 59:13 5–1
	18 min	Penalties	29 min
	17	Shots	31

HPK Hämeenlinna swept the series in three games, though the first game was pushed to the shootout after eighty minutes of play.

Tereza Pištěková (2+4=6), Kiti Seikkula (2+2=4), and Júlia Matejková (1+2=3), HPK's top line, were together responsible for five of the team's ten goals and Heta Seikkula led all defensemen in scoring, with 2 goals and 3 points. Goaltender Kassidy Sauvé was excellent, posting a 97.7 save percentage and 0.60 GAA while playing all 200 minutes in net.

As they had in the regular season, Team Kuortane struggled to score during the series and scored two goals across the three games. Goals were scored by Heidi Kokora and Raili Mustonen; Hannele Tarkiainen assisted on both goals and Kerttu Lehmus notched a secondary assist on Mustonen's goal. Emilia Kyrkkö was steady in net, allowing just seven goals on 75 shots against, but her 90.7 save percentage through nearly 195 minutes of play could not negate the lack of offense generated by Kuortane.

(4) KalPa vs. (5) Ilves

Ilves won three of four games in the 2023–24 season series, though their third meeting was pushed to overtime before Elli Suoranta scored to conclude the game in Ilves’ favor. KalPa won the only game of the series in which Elisa Holopainen played.

In the 2023 playoffs, Ilves lost to HPK in four quarterfinal games and KalPa beat HPK to win Finnish Championship bronze.

All four games of the season series were close affairs, ending with a one-goal difference. Ilves won the first three encounters, though the third game was pushed to overtime before Elli Suoranta scored the game winner. KalPa won the only game in the series in which Elisa Holopainen played.

The teams last met in the postseason during the quarterfinals of the 2020 Aurora Borealis Cup playoffs, which KalPa won in three games.

All times local, Eastern European Time (UTC+2)

23 February 2024 18:45

KalPa Kuopio

2–1 (0–1, 1–0, 1–0)

Ilves Tampere

Niirala, Kuopio Attendance: 108

	Tiina Ranne	Goalies	Salla Sivula	Referee: Patrik Jokinen Linesmen: Mikko Niskanen Arttu Riikonen
	0–1 10:19 – Puputti (Siira) Jo. Juutilainen (Holopainen, Pohjala) – 24:43 1–1 Kastikainen (Keränen, Holopainen) (PP, VR) – 59:04 2–1
	2 min	Penalties	8 min
	30	Shots	28

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25 February 2024 15:00

Ilves Tampere

3–2 (1–1, 1–0, 1–1)

KalPa Kuopio

Tesoman jäähalli, Tampere Attendance: 130

	Salla Sivula	Goalies	Tiina Ranne	Referee: Kaisa Ketonen Linesmen: Lauri Kangaspusu Aapo Hautakangas
	0–1 03:45 – Holopainen (Rantala) (PP) Parkkonen – 10:45 1–1 Melotindos (Kuusisto, Kaitala) – 38:06 2–1 Narinen (Katajamäki) – 41:55 3–1 3–2 52:57 – Keränen (Holopainen, Rantala)
	6 min	Penalties	8 min
	38	Shots	35

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27 February 2024 18:45

KalPa Kuopio

2–0 (0–0, 1–0, 1–0)

Ilves Tampere

Niirala, Kuopio Attendance: 169

	Tiina Ranne	Goalies	Salla Sivula	Referee: Patrik Jokinen Linesmen: Arttu Riikonen Anni Kankkunen
	Rantala (Holopainen, Jo. Juutilainen) – 32:38 1–0 Holopainen (Jo. Juutilainen) (SH, EN, DP) – 59:18 2–0
	6 min	Penalties	4 min
	28	Shots	22

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2 March 2024 13:45

Ilves Tampere

1–3 (0–1, 1–1, 0–1)

KalPa Kuopio

Tesoman jäähalli, Tampere Attendance: 114

	Salla Sivula	Goalies	Tiina Ranne	Referee: Anniina Nurmi Linesmen: Lauri Kangaspusu Aino Ranki
	0–1 07:43 – Holopainen (Keinonen) Parkkonen (Kuusisto, Kilponen) (PP) – 27:11 1–1 1–2 29:45 – Holopainen 1–3 59:56 – Kortelainen (EN)
	8 min	Penalties	20 min
	22	Shots	22

Quarterfinal statistics

Scoring leaders

The following players led the league in points at the conclusion of the quarterfinals on 2 March 2024.

Note: This table includes games played during the quarterfinals only. For cumulative playoff totals, see Player statistics.

Player	Team	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
Elisa Holopainen	KalPa	4	4	4	8	4
Emma Nuutinen	K-Espoo	3	3	5	8	0
Sanni Vanhanen	HIFK	3	3	5	8	0
Lisette Täks	K-Espoo	3	6	0	6	2
Clara Rozier	HIFK	3	4	2	6	0
Julia Liikala	HIFK	3	3	3	6	0
Tereza Pištěková	HPK	3	2	4	6	4
Ada Eronen	K-Espoo	3	1	5	6	0
Julia Schalin	K-Espoo	3	1	5	6	4
Minttu Tuominen	K-Espoo	2	1	4	5	0
Tinja-Mariia Haukijärvi	K-Espoo	3	2	2	4	0
Kiti Seikkula	HPK	3	2	2	4	0
Emma Ekoluoma	Kärpät	3	2	1	3	0
Pauliina Salonen	HIFK	3	2	1	3	2
Heta Seikkula	HPK	3	2	1	3	2
Elsa Talvitie	K-Espoo	3	2	1	3	0

The following skaters were the top point scorers of teams not represented in the scoring leader table at the conclusion of the quarterfinals on 2 March 2024, noted with their overall scoring rank:

24. Eevi Ilvonen, TPS: 3 GP, 0 G, 3 A, 3 Pts, 0 PIM

28. Pihla Parkkonen, Ilves: 4 GP, 2 G, 0 A, 2 Pts, 2 PIM

34. Hannele Tarkiainen, Kuortane: 3 GP, 0 G, 2 A, 2 Pts, 2 PIM

Goaltenders

The following goaltenders had played at least two periods in net at the conclusion of the quarterfinals on 2 March 2024, sorted by save percentage.

Note: This table includes games played during the quarterfinals only. For cumulative playoff totals, see player statistics.

Player	Team	GP	TOI	W	L	SA	GA	SO	SV%	GAA
Kassidy Sauvé	HPK	3	200:00	2	0	86	2	1	97.7	0.60
Tiina Ranne	KalPa	4	239:10	3	1	111	5	1	95.7	1.25
Salla Sivula	Ilves	4	239:03	1	3	100	7	0	93.5	1.76
Minja Drufva	K-Espoo	1	60:00	1	0	12	1	0	91.7	1.00
Emilia Kyrkkö	Kuortane	3	194:55	0	2	75	7	0	90.7	2.15
Kati Asikainen	Kärpät	2	117:22	0	2	65	7	0	90.3	3.58
Olivia Last	TPS	2	120:00	0	2	103	12	0	89.6	6.00
Suvi Saarinen	TPS	1	60:00	0	1	71	8	0	88.7	8.00
Tiia Pajarinen	K-Espoo	2	120:00	2	0	13	2	1	86.7	1.00
Kiia Lahtinen	HIFK	3	180:00	3	0	36	6	0	85.7	2.00
Emilia Piekkari	Kärpät	1	60:00	0	1	36	7	0	80.6	7.00

Semifinals

The best-of-five semifinals (Finnish: välierät) began on Tuesday, 5 March and concluded on Sunday, 10 March.

K-Espoo vs. KalPa

The last postseason encounter between KalPa and Kiekko-Espoo came in the semifinals of the 2022 Aurora Borealis Cup playoffs, which Kiekko-Espoo won in four games. KalPa went on to win Finnish Championship bronze against HPK and Kiekko-Espoo took home silver after being swept in the finals by HIFK.

All times local, Eastern European Time (UTC+2)

5 March 2024 18:45

Kiekko-Espoo

5–3 (1–2, 3–1, 1–0)

KalPa Kuopio

Tapiola 2, Espoo Attendance: 157

	Tiia Pajarinen	Goalies	Tiina Ranne	Referee: Kaisa Kettonen Linesmen: Veeti Hurme Salla-Maaria Raitala
	0–1 02:53 – Holopainen (Pohjala, Jo. Juutilainen) 0–2 09:42 – Holopainen (Paroinen) Schalin (Toivonen, Tuominen) (PP) – 18:07 1–2 Toivonen (Nuutinen) – 21:31 2–2 Koskipalo (Virtanen) – 31:02 3–2 Toivonen (Talvitie) – 39:24 4–2 4–3 39:47 – Holopainen (DP) Nuutinen (PP) – 50:56 5–3
	4 min	Penalties	4 min
	44	Shots	19

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7 March 2024 18:00

KalPa Kuopio

0–4 (0–2, 0–2, 0–0)

Kiekko-Espoo

Niirala, Kuopio Attendance: 162

	Tiina Ranne	Goalies	Tiia Pajarinen	Referee: Juuso Herranen Linesmen: Niko Liukkonen Santeri Smahl
	0–1 09:53 – Nuutinen (Toivonen, Tuominen) 0–2 10:14 – Täks 0–3 31:23 – Nuutinen (Haukijärvi, Tuominen) (PP) 0–4 36:22 – Koskipalo (Valkjärvi)
	8 min	Penalties	6 min
	16	Shots	40

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9 March 2024 17:45

Kiekko-Espoo

2–1 (0–1, 0–0, 2–0)

KalPa Kuopio

Tapiola 2, Espoo Attendance: 206

	Tiia Pajarinen	Goalies	Tiina Ranne	Referee: Kaisa Ketonen Linesmen: Helinä Anttila Ilona Silander
	0–1 15:58 – Rantala (Holopainen, Ad. Makkonen) Katajamäki (Eronen, Nuutinen) – 49:30 1–1 Täks (Haukijärvi, Eronen) – 57:07 2–1
	6 min	Penalties	2 min
	27	Shots	16

HIFK vs. HPK

HIFK and HPK's last playoff meeting was in the 2023 semifinals, which HIFK swept in three games. HIFK went on to win the Aurora Borealis Cup for the first time. HPK lost the 2023 Finnish Championship bronze medal game to KalPa.

All times local, Eastern European Time (UTC+2)

5 March 2024 19:00

HIFK Helsinki

0–1 (0–0, 0–0, 0–1)

HPK Hämeenlinna

Pirkkola, Helsinki Attendance: 178

	Kiia Lahtinen	Goalies	Kassidy Sauvé	Referee: Anniina Nurmi Linesmen: Helinä Anttila Ilona Silander
	0–1 46:50 – Koukkula (Juříčková, Välikangas)
	0 min	Penalties	6 min
	30	Shots	22

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7 March 2024 18:45

HPK Hämeenlinna

4–5 (2–1, 0–3, 2–1)

HIFK Helsinki

Hämeenlinnan harjoitushalli, Hämeenlinna Attendance: 210

	Kassidy Sauvé	Goalies	Kiia Lahtinen	Referee: Tiina Saarimäki Linesmen: Aino Ranki Jarno Kuokkanen
	0–1 03:02 – Vanhanen (Salonen, Locatelli) Matejková (Pištěková) – 06:16 1–1 Mäkivaara (Lukkarila, Ahlskog) – 13:31 2–1 2–2 22:51 – Pejzlová (Rozier, Locatelli) 2–3 29:54 – Locatelli (Vanhanen, Andersson) (VR) 2–4 34:45 – Salonen (Pejzlová) (PP) Lukkarila (Ahlskog, Välikangas) – 43:37 3–4 H. Seikkula (K. Seikkula) – 53:54 4–4 4–5 56:40 – Salonen (Locatelli, Kylliäinen)
	8 min	Penalties	6 min
	18	Shots	42

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9 March 2024 13:00

HIFK Helsinki

5–0 (0–0, 2–0, 3–0)

HPK Hämeenlinna

Pirkkola, Helsinki Attendance: 210

	Miia Vainio	Goalies	Kassidy Sauvé	Referee: Annina Nurmi Linesmen: Salla-Maaria Raitala Aino Ranki
	Pejzlová (Pere) – 25:09 1–0 Rantamäki (Pejzlová, Liikala) (PP) – 37:35 2–0 Pere – 47:55 3–0 Liikala (Pejzlová, Rantamäki) – 55:16 4–0 Liikala (Pejzlová, Andersson) – 59:43 5–0
	8 min	Penalties	10 min
	35	Shots	9

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10 March 2024 13:30

HPK Hämeenlinna

1–4 (1–1, 0–2, 0–1)

HIFK Helsinki

Hämeenlinnan harjoitushalli, Hämeenlinna Attendance: 140

	Kassidy Sauvé	Goalies	Miia Vainio	Referee: Tiina Saarimäki Linesmen: Aino Ranki Jarno Kuokkanen
	0–1 15:53 – Kemppainen Pištěková (K. Seikkula, Matejková) – 19:14 1–1 1–2 20:14 – Kemppainen (Yrjölä, Pejzlová) (PP) 1–3 26:37 – Rozier (Yrjölä, Locatelli) 1–4 48:30 – Vanhanen (Rozier, Locatelli)
	4 min	Penalties	8 min
	15	Shots	34

Semifinal statistics

Scoring leaders

The following players led the league in semifinal points at the conclusion of the semifinals on 10 March 2024.

Note: This table includes games played during the semifinals only. For cumulative totals, see player statistics.

Player	Team	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
Michaela Pejzlová	HIFK	4	2	5	7	0
Athéna Locatelli	HIFK	4	1	5	6	0
Emma Nuutinen	K-Espoo	3	3	2	5	0
Elisa Holopainen	KalPa	3	3	1	4	2
Aliisa Toivonen	K-Espoo	3	2	2	4	0
Julia Liikala	HIFK	4	2	1	3	2
Pauliina Salonen	HIFK	4	2	1	3	2
Sanni Vanhanen	HIFK	4	2	1	3	0
Clara Rozier	HIFK	4	1	2	3	6
Minttu Tuominen	K-Espoo	3	0	3	3	2

The following skater was the top point scorer of HPK, the only team not included in the scoring leaders table, noted with her overall scoring rank:

16. Ines Lukkarila, HPK: 3 GP, 1 G, 1 A, 2 Pts, 4 PIM

Goaltenders

The following goaltenders had played at least two semifinal periods in net at the conclusion of the semifinals on 10 March 2024, sorted by save percentage.

Note: This table includes games played during the semifinals only. For cumulative playoff totals, see player statistics.

Player	Team	GP	TOI	W	L	SA	GA	SO	SV%	GAA
Miia Vainio	HIFK	2	120:00	2	0	24	1	1	95.8	0.50
Tiina Ranne	KalPa	3	176:52	0	3	116	11	0	94.5	3.73
Tiia Pajarinen	K-Espoo	3	180:00	3	0	53	4	1	92.5	1.33
Kiia Lahtinen	HIFK	2	118:06	1	1	46	5	0	91.1	2.54
Kassidy Sauvé	HPK	4	237:21	1	3	141	14	1	90.1	3.54

Bronze medal game

The Finnish Championship bronze medal game (Finnish: pronssiottelu) was played on Saturday, 16 March 2024.

Game time local, Eastern European Time (UTC+2)

16 March 2024 14:00

HPK Hämeenlinna

1–3 (0–2, 0–1, 1–0)

KalPa Kuopio

Hämeenlinnan harjoitushalli, Hämeenlinna Attendance: 230

	Kassidy Sauvé	Goalies	Tiina Ranne	Referee: Reetta-Kaisa Lusi Linesmen: Salla-Maaria Raitala Ilona Silander
	0–1 02:21 – Jo. Juutilainen 0–2 10:26 – Holopainen (Rantala, Keränen) 0–3 24:50 – Holopainen Stoltenberg (Pištěková, Matejková) (EA) – 57:10 1–3
	6 min	Penalties	2 min
	18	Shots	35

Finals

The best-of-five Finnish Championship finals (Finnish: Suomen mestaruus finaalit or SM-finaalit), also called the grand finale (Finnish: loppuottelut), began on Saturday, 16 March and the Aurora Borealis Cup will be awarded no later than Saturday, 23 March 2024.

All times local, Eastern European Time (UTC+2)

16 March 2024 14:45

Kiekko-Espoo

3–0 (2–0, 0–0, 1–0)

HIFK Helsinki

Tapiola 2, Espoo Attendance: 436

	Tiia Pajarinen	Goalies	Miia Vainio	Referee: Anniina Nurmi Linesmen: Aino Ranki Helinä Anttila
	Talvitie (Virtanen, Koskipalo) – 07:00 1–0 Tuominen (Schalin, Nuutinen) (PP) – 17:48 2–0 Täks (Villilä, Haukijärvi) – 47:20 3–0
	6 min	Penalties	8 min
	24	Shots	33

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17 March 2024 15:00

HIFK Helsinki

2–0 (1–0, 0–0, 1–0)

Kiekko-Espoo

Pirkkola, Helsinki Attendance: 419

	Miia Vainio	Goalies	Tiia Pajarinen	Referee: Tiina Saarimäki Linesmen: Helinä Anttila Ilona Silander
	Rozier (Locatelli, Kemppainen) (PP) – 05:42 1–0 Salonen (Rozier, Yrjölä) – 54:39 2–0
	6 min	Penalties	8 min
	19	Shots	29

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19 March 2024 18:45

Kiekko-Espoo

2–4 (0–1, 0–1, 2–2)

HIFK Helsinki

Tapiola 2, Espoo Attendance: 443

	Tiia Pajarinen	Goalies	Miia Vainio	Referee: Anniina Nurmi Linesmen: Salla-Maaria Raitala Aino Ranki
	0–1 01:09 – Liikala (Rantamäki, Yrjölä) 0–2 25:25 – Salonen (Rozier, Yrjölä) 0–3 53:03 – Kemppainen (Liikala, Vanhanen) (PP) Katajamäki (Tuominen, Valkjärvi) (PP, EA) – 57:03 1–3 1–4 58:36 – Liikala (SH, EN) Täks (Schalin, Zielińska) – 59:20 2–4
	6 min	Penalties	10 min
	29	Shots	20

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21 March 2024 18:30

HIFK Helsinki

3–2 (2–1, 1–1, 0–0)

Kiekko-Espoo

Pirkkola, Helsinki Attendance: 550

	Miia Vainio	Goalies	Tiia Pajarinen	Referee: Anniina Nurmi Linesmen: Helinä Anttila Aino Ranki
	Rozier (Vanhanen, Pere) – 05:53 1–0 1–1 15:13 – Täks (Haukijärvi, Eronen) Vanhanen (Liikala) – 18:30 2–1 2–2 35:11 – Katajamäki (Virtanen, Emma Nuutinen) Liikala (Rozier) (PP) – 38:17 3–2
	2 min	Penalties	6 min
	25	Shots	26

Player statistics

Scoring leaders

The following players led the league in playoff points at the conclusion of the playoffs on 21 March 2024.

Player	Team	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
Emma Nuutinen	K-Espoo	10	6	9	15	2
Elisa Holopainen	KalPa	8	9	5	14	6
Julia Liikala	HIFK	11	8	6	14	2
Clara Rozier	HIFK	11	7	7	14	12
Sanni Vanhanen	HIFK	11	6	8	14	0
Lisette Täks	K-Espoo	10	11	0	11	2
Minttu Tuominen	K-Espoo	9	2	8	10	6
Tereza Pištěková	HPK	8	3	6	9	4
Julia Schalin	K-Espoo	10	2	7	9	4
Ada Eronen	K-Espoo	10	1	8	9	4
Pauliina Salonen	HIFK	11	6	2	8	4
Tinja-Mariia Haukijärvi	K-Espoo	10	2	6	8	0
Athéna Locatelli	HIFK	11	1	7	8	0
Siiri Yrjölä	HIFK	11	1	7	8	0
Michaela Pejzlová	HIFK	7	2	5	7	0
Aliisa Toivonen	K-Espoo	10	2	5	7	4
Júlia Matejková	HPK	8	2	4	6	10
Kiti Seikkula	HPK	8	2	4	6	0
Karoliina Rantamäki	HIFK	11	1	5	6	4
Elsa Talvitie	K-Espoo	10	3	2	5	2

Goaltenders

The following goaltenders played at least two periods of a playoff match at the conclusion of the playoffs on 21 March 2024, sorted by save percentage.

^	Team eliminated in quarterfinals

Player	Team	GP	TOI	W	L	SA	GA	SO	SV%	GAA
Miia Vainio	HIFK	6	356:49	5	1	135	8	2	94.1	1.35
Salla Sivula^	Ilves	4	239:03	1	3	100	7	0	93.5	1.76
Tiina Ranne	KalPa	8	476:02	4	4	245	17	1	93.1	2.14
Kassidy Sauvé	HPK	8	493:30	3	4	262	19	2	92.7	2.30
Minja Drufva	K-Espoo	1	60:00	1	0	12	1	0	91.7	1.00
Tiia Pajarinen	K-Espoo	9	534:20	6	3	162	14	3	91.4	1.57
Emilia Kyrkkö^	Kuortane	3	194:55	0	2	75	7	0	90.7	2.15
Kati Asikainen^	Kärpät	2	117:22	0	2	65	7	0	90.3	3.58
Olivia Last^	TPS	2	120:00	0	2	103	12	0	89.6	6.00
Suvi Saarinen^	TPS	1	60:00	0	1	71	8	0	88.7	8.00
Kiia Lahtinen	HIFK	5	298:06	4	1	82	11	0	86.6	2.21
Emilia Piekkari^	Kärpät	1	60:00	0	1	36	7	0	80.6	7.00

References

External links

• Official statistics from the Finnish Ice Hockey Association (in Finnish)