2024 Aurora Borealis Cup playoffs

The 2024 Aurora Borealis Cup playoffs or the 2024 Naisten Liiga playoffs (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.

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.

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 (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
<!--''Defending Aurora Borealis Cup champions Kiekko-Espoo ranked third in the regular season, ending the team’s reign as the top team in the regular season over the previous four seasons, due in large part to the dramatic number of player departures following the 2022 Finnish Championship, which included six of the previous season’s top-ten point scorers and team captain Minttu Tuominen. In their absence, several young players staged breakout seasons: Anni-Elina Montonen ranked tenth in the league with 21 goals and 21 assists for 42 points, Sofia Nuutinen ranked fifteenth with 25 assists and 39 points, and seventeen year old Julia Schalin tallied 17 goals and 30 points. Newly-appointed captain Emmi Rakkolainen was the team’s top performing centre, posting 38 points in 29 games played. Starting netminder Tiia Pajarinen, MVP of the 2021 Aurora Borealis Cup playoffs, ranked second for goals against average of all goaltenders playing at least one-third of their team's minutes, at 1.66 GAA, and fifth for save percentage, at 92.1%, across 21 games played.''

''TPS Turku claimed the seventh seed with 14 regulation wins and 49 total points in their fifth Naisten Liiga season. The team had nine players who scored twenty points or more, including centre Pauliina Salonen (23+17) and Czech winger Tereza Pištěková (14+26) who both ranked in the top twenty players for points. Notable blue liners included offensive-defenders Anni Timonen (6+16) and Emmi Mourujärvi (6+14), and team performance noticeably improved when French stay-at-home defender Raphaëlle Grenier, who was held to 19 games played due to injury, was in the lineup. Number one goaltender from the 2021–22 season Erica Jaskari was sidelined for the entire season and backup netminders Sari Saarinen and Tea Koljonen struggled with the added game load; both posted save percentages in the eighties and goals against average above 3.35 on the season.''

''HIFK and Kärpät faced one another four times during the 2022–23 season, all four games resulting in decisive victories for HIFK. ''

The teams last met in the postseason during the semifinals of the 2022 Aurora Borealis Cup playoffs, which HIFK won in three games. --> All times local, Eastern European Time (UTC+2)

(2) HIFK vs. (7) Kärpät
All times local, Eastern European Time (UTC+2)

(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)

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)

Quarterfinal statistics
The following players led the league in points at the conclusion of the quarterfinals on 2 March 2024.
 * Scoring leaders

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

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.
 * Goaltenders

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

Semifinals
The best-of-five semifinals (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)

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)

Semifinal statistics
The following players led the league in semifinal points at the conclusion of the semifinals on 10 March 2024.
 * Scoring leaders

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

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.
 * Goaltenders

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

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

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

Finals
The best-of-five Finnish Championship finals (Suomen mestaruus finaalit or SM-finaalit), also called the grand finale (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)

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

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.