Noora Räty

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Noora Räty
Noora Raty 1.jpg
Born (1989-05-29) 29 May 1989 (age 32)
Espoo, Uusimaa, Finland
Height 1.65 m (5 ft 5 in)
Weight 65 kg (143 lb; 10 st 3 lb)
Position Goaltender
Catches Left
NSML team
PWHPA team
Former teams		 HPK Hämeenlinna
Minnesota
National team  Finland
Playing career 2004–present
Medal record
Women's ice hockey
Representing  Finland
Olympic Games
Bronze medal – third place 2010 Vancouver Team
Bronze medal – third place 2018 Pyeongchang Team
World Championships
Silver medal – second place 2019 Finland
Bronze medal – third place 2008 China
Bronze medal – third place 2009 Finland
Bronze medal – third place 2011 Switzerland
Bronze medal – third place 2017 United States

Noora Helena Räty (born 29 May 1989) is a Finnish ice hockey goaltender and member of the Finnish national ice hockey team, currently playing with HPK Kiekkonaiset of the Naisten Liiga (NSML).[1] She is affiliated with the Minnesota chapter of the Professional Women's Hockey Players Association (PWHPA) and is a founding member of the organization's board.[2]

Regarded as one of the best goaltenders in the world,[3] Räty has won two Olympic bronze medals and has competed in four Olympic Games, earning All-Star honours at the 2018 tournament. Across nine IIHF World Championships, she has earned five medals and has been awarded Best Goaltender five times, named to the All-Star Team four times, and was the MVP in 2008.

A two time NCAA Ice Hockey Tournament champion and two time All-American, Räty holds the NCAA Division I all-time career records for best save percentage, most shutouts, and most wins. Her club career has included playing in the Canadian Women's Hockey League (CWHL), the Naisten SM-sarja, and the Russian Women's Hockey League, in addition to being the first woman to play as a goaltender in both the Finnish men's second- and third-tier professional leagues, the Mestis and the Suomi-sarja.

Playing career[]

Räty began her senior club career at age 15 with the Espoo Blues of the Naisten SM-sarja, the top women's ice hockey league in Finland (renamed Naisten Liiga in 2017). In her first season, 2005–06, she recorded stellar a .951 save percentage (SV%) and 1.40 goals against average (GAA) while playing in 20 of 22 games. The phenomenal season earned her the Naisten SM-sarja Rookie of the Year Award in 2005–06; in 2010, the award was renamed in her honour as the Noora Räty Award. The teen continued to impress over the following seasons, earning the Naisten SM-sarja Best Goaltender Award in 2006–07 and the Playoff MVP Award in 2007–08 and 2008–09. During the four seasons she was active in the Naisten SM-sarja, 2005–06 to 2008–09, she played 55 regular season games and recorded 14 shutouts while maintaining a save percentage above .960. Across 28 Finnish Championship playoff games, she had a GAA of just 1.15 and tallied 8 shutouts, leading the Espoo Blues to three consecutive championship victories.

In addition to playing in the Naisten SM-liiga, Räty trained and competed with the Espoo Blues mens' junior A team in the Nuorten SM-liiga, the top junior league in Finland. She also attended lukio (advanced secondary school, comparable to gymnasium) at the Haukilahden lukio in the Haukilahti neighborhood of her hometown of Espoo and played ice hockey with the school team, earning the school’s Hockey Player of the Year award in 2006 and 2008.[4]

Minnesota Golden Gophers[]

Räty was recruited by the University of Minnesota to play ice hockey with the Minnesota Golden Gophers, a member of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) of NCAA Division I. She began her college ice hockey career at the university in the autumn of 2009 with fellow Finnish national team player Mira Jalosuo. Räty's first start in goal for the Gophers came in the team's second game of the 2009–10 season at home against Syracuse University (a 4–1 win).[5] Through the WCHA conference tournament on 7 March 2010, Räty amassed a 17–3–4 record in 24 starts with 7 shutouts, a GAA of 1.24, and a save percentage of .951.[6]

Räty won a number of WCHA conference awards during the 2009–10 season, being named WCHA Goaltending Champion (based on GAA), the goaltender of the All-WCHA First Team, and the goaltender of the All-WCHA Rookie Team.[7] Räty was also named the WCHA Defensive Player of the Week four times and WCHA Rookie of the Week once.[8]

In March 2010, Räty became only the second freshman to be a finalist for the Patty Kazmaier Award.[9] She set a Golden Gophers club record for most assists in one season by a goaltender (3).

To start the 2010–11 season, Raty had a shutout in the first three games of the season.[10] On 22 and 23 October 2010, she recorded back to back shutouts against the St. Cloud State Huskies. She held the Huskies scoreless as Minnesota swept the series by scores of 5–0 and 3–0, respectively. Raty played the full 120:00 minutes of the series. She accumulated 14 saves in the first game and 18 in the second for a 32-goal shutout.

Räty played on national championship teams in 2011–12 and 2012–13. The 2012–13 team finished 41–0–0, and the team won the last 49 games of Räty's career. Räty finished with both the career and single-season record for shutouts.[11]

Kiekko-Vantaa[]

In March 2014, Yle reported that Räty had signed a contract for the 2014–15 season with Kiekko-Vantaa of the Mestis, the second level of Finnish men's hockey after the Liiga. She would become only the second woman to play in the Mestis, the first being Hayley Wickenheiser in 2003 with HC Salamat.[12]

Räty was loaned to the Bewe TuusKi of the Suomi-sarja, the third level of Finnish men's hockey, for the beginning of the season. She played her first Mestis game for Kiekko-Vantaa on 22 October 2014, becoming the first Finnish woman and first female goaltender to play in the league.[13]

CWHL[]

Selected in the first round of the 2017 CWHL Draft by the Chinese expansion team Kunlun Red Star WIH, she emerged as a key contributor for a club that finished the 2017–18 CWHL season in second place. Räty's first win with the Red Star took place on 28 October 2017, a 4–3 overtime win versus the Calgary Inferno in which she recorded 39 saves. Coincidentally, Annina Rajahuhta, a teammate from the Finnish national team, recorded the game-winning goal in overtime.[14]

By season's end, Räty emerged as the CWHL's regular season goaltending champion, leading the league in goals against average. She also tied with Emerance Maschmeyer of Les Canadiennes for most shutouts, with 6. Räty won the CWHL Goaltender of the Year Award, becoming the first European-born goaltender to capture the honor.

Räty was the starting goaltender for the Red Star in the 2018 Clarkson Cup finals, which were held in Toronto. Challenging the Markham Thunder, the contest went into overtime, where Laura Stacey scored with 2:11 left in the 4-on-4 overtime, as Markham prevailed by a 2–1 tally for its first-ever championship title.[15] Räty recorded 37 saves in the contest.[16]

International play[]

Räty has been a member of the Finnish women's national team since the age of 15 and has recorded over 100 games in net for the team. At the age of 16, she participated with Team Finland in the women’s ice hockey tournament at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin.

During the 2008 World Championships, Räty recorded a 30-save shutout of Team USA for a 1–0 victory. She was named the Best Goalie of the Tournament by the Directorate in 2007 and in 2008, and earned the Most Valuable Player of the Tournament award in 2008.[17] At the 2009 World Championships she maintained a 1.48 goals against average and a 3–1–0 record, backstopping Finland for their second-straight bronze medal.

She won a bronze medal at the 2010 Four Nations Cup in St. John's, Newfoundland.

Noora Raty would post a shutout in the gold medal of the 2017 Nations Cup against the Canadian Women's Development Team, which featured opposing goaltender Emerance Maschmeyer. Finland prevailed in a 1–0 final that saw Michelle Karvinen log the game-winning tally.[18]

Personal life[]

Räty is one of the nine founding board members of the Professional Women's Hockey Players’ Association (PWHPA) and the only one to hold citizenship outside of North America.[2][19] She has spoken about her hopes that the NHL will create a professional women's national hockey league in North America and her desire to play a part in the creation of such a league.[20]

Räty and her partner, Karel Popper, became engaged in June 2019.[21] Popper is a professional goaltending instructor with MEGA Goaltending and joined the KRS Vanke Rays Shenzhen as a goaltending coach for the 2020–21 ZhHL season.[22] The couple reside in Minneapolis with their dog, Dino.

Career statistics[]

Regular season and playoffs[]

    Regular season   Playoffs
Season Team League GP W L T Min GA SO GAA SV% GP W L Min GA SO GAA SV%
2005–06 Espoo Blues Naisten SM-sarja 20 15 4 0 1157 27 5 1.40 .951 6 3 3 389 10 0 1.55 .956
2006–07 Espoo Blues Naisten SM-sarja 19 14 3 0 1141 23 5 1.21 .954 7 6 1 440 9 3 1.23 .958
2007–08 Espoo Blues Naisten SM-sarja 11 1.74 .946 9 0.97 .970
2008–09 Espoo Blues Naisten SM-sarja 5 5 0 0 300:00 1 4 0.20 .992 6 0.83 .969
2009–10 Minnesota Golden Gophers NCAA 26 18 4 4 1623:42 36 7 1.33 .948 – – – – – – – –
2010–11 Minnesota Golden Gophers NCAA 35 25 8 2 2036:41 60 9 1.77 .941 – – – – – – – –
2011–12 Minnesota Golden Gophers NCAA 40 33 5 2 2361:03 53 10 1.35 .942 – – – – – – – –
2012–13 Minnesota Golden Gophers NCAA 38 38 0 0 2240:11 36 17 0.96 .956 – – – – – – – –
2013–14 Tampereen Ilves Naisten SM-sarja 2 5 .940 – – – – – – – –
2013–14 SKIF Nizhny Novgorod RWHL 5 300:00 8 1.60 – – – – – – – –
2014–15 Kiekko-Vantaa Mestis 8 3.73 .893 – – – – – – – –
2014–15 Bewe TuusKi (L) Suomi-sarja 6 2.74 .916 – – – – – – – –
2015–16 KJT Tuusula Suomi-sarja 17 3.59 .899 3 4.51 .894
2016–17 KJT Tuusula Suomi-sarja 7 4.41 .878 – – – – – – – –
Nokia Pyry Suomi-sarja 4 2.97 .898 0 0 0 0:00 0 0 0 0
2017–18 Kunlun Red Star WIH CWHL 20 16 3 0 1160 31 6 1.60 .944 4 2 2 315 7 1 1.34 .961
2018–19 Shenzhen KRS Vanke Rays CWHL 20 8 12 0 1170 48 2 2.46 .921 – – – – – – – –
2019–20 Shenzhen KRS Vanke Rays ZhHL 5 4 1 – 297:46 6 2 1.21 .962 4 4 – 240:00 6 0 1.50 .957
2020–21 Shenzhen KRS Vanke Rays ZhHL 5 4 1 – 256:28 10 1 2.34 .902
Naisten SM-sarja totals 57 34 7 – 2598 56 14 1.29 .956 28 9 4 829 19 3 1.38 .957
NCAA totals 139 114 17 8 8261:43 185 43 1.34 .946 – – – – – – – –
Suomi-sarja totals 34 3.43 .900 3 4.51 .894
CWHL totals 40 24 15 0 2330 79 8 2.03 .932 4 2 2 315 7 1 1.34 .961
ZhHL totals 10 8 2 – 554:14 16 3 1.78 .931 4 4 – 240:00 6 0 1.50 .957

*Italics indicate totals calculated from incomplete statistics
 Sources: [23] Elite Prospects,[24] University of Minnesota Athletics,[25] ZhHL[26][27]

International[]

Year Team Event Result GP W T L MIN GA SO GAA SV%
2005 Finland WW 4th 1 0 0 1 29:27 4 0 8.15 .810
2006 Finland OG 4th 3 1 0 1 104:43 6 1 3.44 .867
2007 Finland WW 4th 5 2 0 3 301:32 10 2 1.99 .932
2008 Finland WW 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 4 3 0 1 243:42 6 1 1.48 .926
2009 Finland WW 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 3 2 0 1 170:48 10 0 3.51 .886
2010 Finland OG 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 5 3 0 2 302:33 15 0 2.97 .884
2011 Finland WW 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 5 2 0 3 304:05 10 0 1.97 .957
2012 Finland WW 4th 4 1 0 3 234:48 15 0 3.83 .903
2013 Finland WW 4th 5 1 0 4 282:32 14 0 2.97 .909
2014 Finland OG 5th 6 3 0 3 358:57 13 1 2.17 .929
2017 Finland WW 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 6 3 0 3 355:03 12 2 2.03 .924
2018 Finland OG 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 6 3 0 3 355:25 16 0 2.70 .911
2019 Finland WW 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 6 3 0 3 354:47 13 1 2.20 .936
World Championship totals 39 17 0 22 2276:44 94 6 2.53 .924
Olympic Games totals 20 10 0 9 1121:38 50 2 2.67 .907
Cumulative totals 59 27 0 31 3398:22 144 8 2.60 .915

Sources: [28][29][30][24]

Awards and honors[]

Award Year ref
International
World Championship Best Goaltender 2007, 2008, 2011, 2017, 2019 [31][32][33]
World Championship All-Star 2008, 2013, 2017, 2019
World Championship Bronze Medal 2008, 2009, 2011, 2017
World Championship MVP 2008
Olympic Bronze Medal 2010, 2018
Olympic All-Star 2018
World Championship Silver Medal 2019
CWHL
Goaltender of the Year 2017–18
Russia
Russian Champion 2013–14, 2019–20
NCAA
WCHA Defensive Player of the Week 2009–10
  • Week of 19 October 2009
  • Week of 30 November 2009
  • Week of 7 December 2009
  • Week of 25 January 2010

2010–11

  • Week of 27 October 2010

2011–12

  • Week of 8 November 2011

2012–13

  • Week of 25 October 2012
 [34][35][36][37]


[38]

[39]

WCHA Rookie of the Week Week of 26 October 2009 [40]
AHCA All-America First Team 2009–10, 2012–13 [41][42][43]
All-WCHA First Team 2009–10, 2010–11, 2012–13 [7][44]
Patty Kazmaier Award Finalist 2009–10, 2010–11, 2012–13 [45]
Patty Kazmaier Award Top-3 Finalist 2009–10, 2012–13 [45]
WCHA All-Rookie Team 2009–10 [7]
WCHA Goaltending Champion 2009–10, 2012–13 [43]
AHCA All-America Second Team 2010–11 [46]
WCHA All-Academic Team 2010–11, 2011–12, 2012–13 [43]
WCHA All-Tournament Team 2011, 2012, 2013
All-WCHA Third Team 2011–12
WCHA Tournament Most Outstanding Player 2012, 2013
NCAA Frozen Four Most Outstanding Player 2012, 2013
NCAA All-Tournament Team 2012, 2013
WCHA Scholar-Athlete Award 2012–13
WCHA 20th Anniversary Team 2018
Naisten SM-sarja
Rookie of the Year 2005–06
All-Star Team 2006–07
Best Goaltender 2006–07
Finnish Champion 2006–07, 2007–08, 2008–09
Playoff MVP 2007–08, 2008–09

References[]

  1. ^ Niemeläinen, Jonne (21 June 2021). "Noora Räty palaa Naisten Liigaan seitsemän vuoden tauon jälkeen – "Pelivuoteni ovat vähissä"". Yle Urheilu (in Finnish). Retrieved 22 June 2021.
  2. ^ a b "Board Members". PWHPA. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
  3. ^ Svrluga, Barry (19 February 2018). "For Noora Raty, a continental divide is the difference between bronze and gold". The Washington Post. Retrieved 15 March 2021.
  4. ^ Hiitelä, Juha (28 November 2013). "Matkalla Sotshiin: Noora Räty ja harvinainen lomaviikko". Ilta-Sanomat (in Finnish). Retrieved 15 March 2021.
  5. ^ "Syracuse (SYR) at Minnesota (MIN)". Collegehockeystats.net. 4 October 2009. Retrieved 31 January 2013.
  6. ^ "Minnesota Golden Gophers (Women) 2009–2010 Team Statistics". Collegehockeystats.net. Retrieved 31 January 2013.
  7. ^ a b c "Schleper Named WCHA Defensive Player of the Year". University of Minnesota Athletics. 4 March 2010. Retrieved 17 March 2021.
  8. ^ Räty Named WCHA Defensive Player of the Week[permanent dead link] (27 January 2010)
  9. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 11 June 2011. Retrieved 3 June 2011.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  10. ^ [1][dead link]
  11. ^ "Räty sets two records as Gophers advance in playoffs". Archived from the original on 6 March 2013. Retrieved 24 March 2013.
  12. ^ "Men's hockey team signs female goalie". Yle News. 10 March 2014. Retrieved 10 March 2014.
  13. ^ "Räty makes history—but could do with fewer phone calls". Yle News. 23 October 2014. Retrieved 17 March 2021.
  14. ^ "Game #: 10 – Saturday, October 28, 2017". CWHL. 28 October 2017. Retrieved 3 August 2018.
  15. ^ McGran, Kevin (25 March 2018). "Laura Stacey's overtime winner gives Markham its first Clarkson Cup". Toronto Star. Retrieved 3 August 2018.
  16. ^ "Game # 0 – Sunday, March 25, 2018". CWHL. 25 March 2018. Retrieved 3 August 2018.
  17. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 14 April 2009. Retrieved 21 January 2010.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  18. ^ "Canada's National Women's Development Team Claims Silver at Nations Cup". Hockey Canada. 7 January 2017. Retrieved 15 February 2017.
  19. ^ Jay, Michelle (23 July 2019). "PWHPA solidifies leadership group, plans for future". The Ice Garden. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
  20. ^ Aykroyd, Lucas (15 July 2019). "Noora Raty gears up for her next challenge in women's hockey". Women's Hockey Life. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
  21. ^ "Noora Räty meni kihloihin jenkkirakkaansa kanssa – julkaisi kuvan timanttisormuksesta" (in Finnish). Me Naiset. 5 June 2019. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
  22. ^ "Karel Popper - Women's Hockey Coach". gophersports.com. University of Minnesota Athletics. 2019. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
  23. ^ "Noora Raty". CWHL. n.d. Retrieved 3 August 2018.[dead link]
  24. ^ a b "Player Profile: Noora Räty". Elite Prospects. Retrieved 17 March 2021.
  25. ^ "2012-13 Women's Ice Hockey Roster: 41 Noora Raty". University of Minnesota Athletics. Retrieved 17 March 2021.
  26. ^ "Статистика игроков - Рег. чемпионат 2019/2020". Женская хоккейная лига (in Russian). Retrieved 17 March 2021.
  27. ^ "Статистика игроков - Рег. чемпионат 2020/2021". Женская хоккейная лига (in Russian). Retrieved 17 March 2021.
  28. ^ Podnieks, Andrew; Nordmark, Birger, eds. (2019). IIHF Guide & Record Book 2020. Toronto: Moydart. p. 669. ISBN 9780986796470.
  29. ^ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Noora Räty". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 3 December 2016. Retrieved 31 January 2013.
  30. ^ "Finland Beats Swedes in Overtime for Bronze". Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics. Retrieved 31 January 2013.
  31. ^ Podnieks, Andrew (2009). Hockey Facts and Stats 2009–10. Toronto: HarperCollins. p. 546. ISBN 9781554686216.
  32. ^ "Tomcikova named MVP". Iihf.com. 25 April 2011. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 31 January 2013.
  33. ^ "Decker Named MVP". Iihf.com. 8 April 2017. Retrieved 3 May 2017./
  34. ^ http://www.wcha.com/sports/w-hockey/spec-rel/102109aaa.html. Retrieved 21 October 2009. Missing or empty |title= (help)[dead link][dead link]
  35. ^ [2][dead link]
  36. ^ [3][dead link]
  37. ^ http://www.wcha.com/sports/w-hockey/spec-rel/012710aaa.html. Retrieved 30 January 2010. Missing or empty |title= (help)[dead link]
  38. ^ "North Dakota's Lamoureux and Karvinen, Minnesota's Räty Named WCHA Women's Players of the Week" (PDF). WCHA (Press release). 9 November 2011. Retrieved 16 March 2021.
  39. ^ "MSU's McCann, UND's Dagfinrud, UM's Räty & Brandt Named WCHA Women's Players of the Week". WCHA (Press release). 24 October 2012. Retrieved 31 January 2013.
  40. ^ [4][dead link]
  41. ^ "2010 All-American Teams". American Hockey Coaches Association. Retrieved 17 March 2021.
  42. ^ "2013 All-American Teams". American Hockey Coaches Association. Retrieved 17 March 2021.
  43. ^ a b c Bell, Todd; Thibodeau, Dean; Horvat, Jane (2020). "2020-21 WCHA Media Guide & Record Book" (PDF). Western Collegiate Hockey Association. Retrieved 16 March 2021.
  44. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 11 July 2011. Retrieved 6 March 2011.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  45. ^ a b "Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award Recipients". USA Hockey. Retrieved 6 November 2015.
  46. ^ "2011 All-American Teams". American Hockey Coaches Association. Retrieved 17 March 2021.

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