U goalie: The world is her stage

Bruce Bisping, Star Tribune

Gophers goalie Noora Raty will be Finland’s goalie in the Olympics, and is getting a tuneup this week at the Four Nations Cup tournament in her homeland.

Noora Raty has been wearing out her passport and excelling across the globe ever since donning goalie pads.

By ROMAN AUGUSTOVIZ, Star Tribune

Last update: November 4, 2009 - 2:57 PM

The Gophers women's hockey team is idle this weekend, so goalie Noora Raty went home to Finland. Except the 5-4 freshman from Espoo, her country's second-largest city, is not there simply to rest and visit family.

On Wednesday, Raty, wearing her Gophers helmet and pads, played in the nets for Finland's national team in the opening game of the Four Nations Cup.

The Finns had a tough draw: the powerful U.S. team.

The Americans, with six former Gophers, won 4-0 but Raty made 48 saves and was named the Finns' player of the game. Defenseman Mira Jalosuo, another Gophers freshman, also played for the Finns (Canada and Sweden are the other tournament participants). Raty, though, is the much more acclaimed of the two. She has been on Finland's national team since she played in the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin and was nicknamed "Baby."

"She is our soul," Jalosuo said. "We need her so much."

Gophers coach Brad Frost is thrilled to have her on his roster, too. "At 15, she was playing in the Olympics on the world stage," Frost said. "There is not a whole lot more pressure than that situation. That's why we love having players on our team with international experience whether they are U.S., Canadian or Finnish kids."

Raty was in goal for both of Finland's two victories over the U.S. team in international competition. She had 30 saves as the Finns won 1-0 over the U.S. team in overtime in the 2008 World Championships in China, and again for the 3-2 victory in the Canada Cup two months ago.

The Gophers, 8-2-0 and ranked No. 4 nationally this week, had two veteran goalies returning from a Frozen Four team this season in Alyssa Grogan and Jenny Lura. But Frost did not hesitate to sign Raty.

"She is incredible. She is world-class," he said.

Raty, who turned 20 in May, was named the MVP of the 2008 World Championships despite the Finns' third-place finish.

The United States and most other women's teams in the Olympics have their players together for months beforehand. Not Finland, though. Seven of its players are on WCHA teams this season.

"It is so high level here," Raty said. "All our games are so tough. Everybody can play this game."

"What is great for [Raty], is she has been able to come and play in a very competitive environment here," Frost said. "So hopefully when she goes out to the Olympics, she is even better than when she first started here."

Raty will miss three to four weeks of the Gophers' season during the Olympics in Vancouver.

As a Gopher, Raty has not disappointed. She is 5-1-0 with a 1.17 goals-against average (third best in the nation) and a .960 save percentage (second best).

Raty played soccer and golf as a youngster. But her father Jarmo coached her older brother's hockey team and she asked to join the boys' team.

She always has been a goalie. "I say to my mom, 'I want to be on the ice all the time. I don't want to change,'" Raty said. "That's why maybe."

On her recruiting visit to Minnesota, all Frost promised Raty was a chance to compete for playing time.

"I have been the clear No. 1 [goalie] all my life, so this is the first time I have had to compete," Raty said. "I like this. It just makes me better."

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