Team Finland doesn't have the look of your typical underdog team at the world juniors.
BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Cinderella’s slipper found a new foot at the world junior hockey championship.
Last year it was Switzerland. The year before that, the Slovaks were the surprise team. Although the clock eventually struck midnight on those two teams, and neither wound up winning a medal, this year’s underdog team is well-positioned to succeed where previous surprise teams failed.
Team Finland is playing the underdog role perfectly through the round robin portion of the tournament. An overtime loss to the defending champion Americans in the first game showed the world the Finns are no slouch, but the underdog label remains attached.
If you ask the Finns, that label suits them fine.
"We have been the underdogs almost the last five years," team captain Sami Vatanen said. "We have to prove to ourselves that we can win a medal."
There hasn’t been much room for surprise teams on the podium in recent years. The top four nations heading into each tournament are perceived as being the Canadians, Americans, Swedes and Russians.
The discrepancy between the elite teams and the next group is broadening over the years. The line has become increasingly more defined, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t room for the occasional Cinderella story.
Switzerland shocked everyone by beating the Russians in the quarterfinal in last year’s tournament. They were unable to catch Canada or Sweden off-guard in the semifinal and bronze-medal games, but still finished in fourth.
The Slovaks stunned the United States in the quarterfinal in 2009, but lost to Swedes and Russians in the semis and bronze-medal game. Slovakia also finished fourth.
The Finns find themselves in the same category as last year’s Swiss team and the Slovaks in 2009 as an underdog, but that’s where the similarities end. Unlike the Swiss and Slovaks before them, Finland’s chances of taking home a medal are much more legitimate than the previous surprise teams.
Finland boasts a complete lineup, not showing much in the way of a weakness. Their lineup resembles much more of an elite team than it does an underdog.
Similarly to most medal-winning teams in this tournament, they’re led by one of the top goaltenders in Joni Ortio. Head coach Lauri Marjamaki, an assistant on last year’s team, credits Ortio’s mental preparation as one of the main reasons his veteran goaltender has taken the next step forward a year later.
That confidence seemingly carries through the entire team.
"He has played very good games," Vatanen said. "Nobody can score against him."
A good goaltender is just one reason the Finns could take home a medal. Finland is fourth in tournament scoring with 17 goals in four games, an average of more than four goals per game.
The reason for the team’s offence is simple, says Marjamaki. Each line features a scorer, a playmaker, a grinder, and a defensive specialist. But it’s the team’s dedication to defence that may produce wins in crucial games.
But for all the team’s success, those watching the tournament remain cautiously optimistic. An overtime loss to the United States was a strong affirmation amongst the players, no matter what it says to the fans back home.
"There’s the Finnish people that think we can’t win and we have showed them we can win these games," Vatanen said. "If everything goes right, we can win a medal."
The overtime loss to the Americans provided the Finns with hope. It also let every other team in the tournament know the Finns were for real.
"I’d say they definitely are one of those teams that always flies under the radar, but always has a great team," American forward Kyle Palmieri said. "I think they’re going to be a team people are going to have to look out for."
"We really prepared for them," U.S.A. goalie Jack Campbell added. "We knew they were going to be a great team and they didn’t disappoint us with that."
The nicest part about being an underdog is the pressure games never fall to their feet. The Finnish players want to be considered an elite team, but they’re not exactly trying to shake the advantage surprise teams carry.
"We don’t have any pressure," Finnish defenceman Rasmus Rissanen beamed. "If (the media) doesn’t talk about us, that’s fine for us."
"I think we’re a competitor every year we come here," forward Erik Haula said. "We’re not going to be an easy team to win (against)."
Finland’s chariot awaits.
