Suomi jääkiekko / Finland

2019 World Junior Ice Hockey Champions

Team Roster

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, Filip Lindberg, Oskari Laaksonen, Toni Utunen, Urho Vaakanainen, Henri Jokiharju, Otto Latvala, Ville Heinola, Anttoni Honka, Aleksi Heponiemi, Samuli Vainionpää, Valtteri Puustinen, Teemu Engberg, Rasmus Kupari, Eeli Tolvanen, Santeri Virtanen, Linus Nyman, Kaapo Kakko, Aarne Talvitie, Jesse Ylönen, Sami Moilanen, Anton Lundell.

Head Coach - Jussi Ahokas
Assistant Coach - Tuomo Ruutu
Assistant Coach - Olli Salo
Assistant Coach - Jukka Varmanen
General Manager - Kimmo Oikarinen

After finishing third in Group B, Finland defeated Canada (2-1 in overtime) in the quarter-finals, Switzerland (6-1) in the semi-finals to reach the championship game.

Jesse Ylönen scored a power-play goal off a slap shot from the top of the left circle to give Finland a 1-0 lead 11:31 into the second period. 

Otto Latvala made it 2-0 off a shot from the right point 6:00 into the third period, and it looked like the Finns were on there way to winning the game with just 14 minutes to play.

Then Alexander Chmelevski of USA scored off a loose puck at the left post at 7:01 to make it 2-1, and Joshua Norris scored off a pass from Hughes at 8:47 for a 2-2 tie. Team USA scored 2 goals in a span of 1:46 in the third period.

One of the biggest saves of the game, was when Finland goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen stopped Jack Hughes on a breakaway at 9:47 into the third period with the game tied 2-2. 

This set the stage for the game winner late in the 3rd period, when Kaapo Kakko eluded the player covering him, and gained position at the left post of the net, and scored his second goal of the tournament off a backhand to give Finland a 3-2 lead with 1:26 remaining in the game. Finland would close it out and be crowned 2019 IIHF World Junior Ice Hockey Champions.

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 25 saves for Finland in the victory, and finished with a 1.80 goals-against average and .932 save percentage in six games.

Finland, which finished sixth on the power play (5-of-25, 20 percent), was 1-for-3 with the man-advantage in the championship game. The U.S. was 0-for-5 on the power play in the championship game and finished second (7-for-27, 25.93 percent) in the tournament.