KeuPa HT are a semi-professional ice hockey team based in Keuruu, Finland. They are members of the second highest league in Finland, Mestis. The club was founded in 1995 in the Finnish fourth division II-Divisioona after the ice hockey club decided to part company with the Keuruu sports club. They play their home games in the Keuruu Ice Hall, which holds 1200 spectators. KeuPa are two time Suomi-sarja champions and one time Mestis champions.
History
KeuPa HT was born in 1995 after the ice hockey branch of the Keuruu sports club split from the football and ice skating branches. KeuPa kept their traditional name but added "Hockey Team" to the end to differentiate themselves; hence, the abbreviation HT appears at the end of the name.Keuruun Pallo (Keuruun ball), Retrieved 2015-04-27
The club was promoted to the third division, Suomi-sarja, in 2011–2012 and went on to claim the gold medal and win the third-division championship. By winning, they entered the playoffs with LeKi, KooVee and HCK that year for the right to be promoted to the second division, Mestis. KeuPa finished third in the playoffs and remained in Suomi-sarja, while the other two clubs were promoted to Mestis. HCK, who came second in the playoffs, were promoted only because Wafer-Laser went bankrupt and had to pull out of Mestis.KeuPa HT, Retrieved 2015-04-27
In the 2012–2013 season, the club sought to defend their title but could manage only a third-place finish at the conclusion of the season, winning the bronze medal. RoKi won the championship title and qualified for Mestis. KeuPa HT had to settle for another season in the third division after coming close to promotion again. The head coach quit at the end of the season.
The 2013–2014 season started off badly for the club. They had not been able to find a replacement for their head coach, and the club was in a precarious financial situation, staring at bankruptcy or folding the club up and ceasing operations, which would mean that they would not be able to compete in the Suomi-sarja season. The KeuPa HT players started a fundraising campaign to raise the money needed to keep the club afloat and allow them to compete in the league that year. By season's start, they had managed to raise the needed money, and they began the season on schedule. The club went through a rocky, patchy start to the season but managed to gain momentum at the end of the regular season and just reach the playoff finals. In the playoffs, KeuPa dispatched with RoKi and Bewe Tuuskin to meet FPS (formerly FoPS) of Forssa in the final. KeuPa HT beat FPS in the final and qualified for Mestis for the first time, ending what became a Cinderella season from a very bleak start.
KeuPa HT went through two head coaches in their first season in the second division in 2014–2015, firstly Jussi Tupamäki then Kari Rautakorpi from 23 February 2015. The team finished the regular season in 8th position, just missing out on the relegation positions of 9 and 10. Their record for the season was 13 wins and 30 losses with 8 overtime victories and 5 overtime losses for a total of 60 points from 56 matches.Mestis season 2014–2015, Retrieved 2015-04-27
Season-by-season-results ChampionsRunners-upThird PlacePromotedRelegated KeuPa HTSeasonLeague 2008–09 II-divisioona 20 13 2 1 4 151 90 +61 44 3rd - - - 2009–10 II-divisioona 18 18 0 0 0 191 47 +144 54 1st Champion - - 2010–11 II-divisioona 21 15 1 2 3 158 84 +74 49 2nd Runner-up - Promoted 2011–12 Suomi-sarja 22 16 2 0 4 139 68 +71 52 1st Qualification loss - - 2012–13 Suomi-sarja 22 13 1 2 6 100 63 +37 43 3rd Qualification loss - - 2013–14 Suomi-sarja 38 20 0 3 15 165 141 +24 63 7th Champion - Promoted 2014–15 Mestis 56 13 8 5 30 143 217 -74 60 8th Quarterfinal loss - - 2015–16 Mestis 50 19 7 5 19 140 126 +14 76 5th Bronze game loss - - 2016–17 Mestis 50 19 6 3 22 144 156 -12 72 8th Quarterfinal loss - - 2017–18 Mestis 50 30 2 3 15 182 132 +50 97 1st Champion Quarterfinal loss - 2018–19 Mestis 50 18 5 5 22 151 139 +12 69 8th Runner-up Runner-up - 2019–20 Mestis 50 25 5 8 25 189 182 +7 78 6th Cancelled 3rd Round - 2020–21 Mestis 31 17 2 2 10 112 102 +10 57 4th Quarterfinal loss - - 2021–22 Mestis 52 22 4 6 20 165 170 -5 80 5th - Qualification loss - Source:
Honours
Championships Mestis Champions (1): 2017–18 Runners-Up (1): 2018–19 Suomi-sarja Champions (2): 2011–12, 2013–14
Players
Current roster
Team roster for the 2021–22 Mestis season
Well-known former players A list of players that have played for KeuPa HT and gone onto play at the top professional level of hockey in Finland or abroad.
Name League(s) Joni Lius SM-liiga; Elitserien; Austria Olli Palola SM-liiga; KHL; SHL Sinuhe Wallinheimo SM-liiga Waltteri Lehtonen SM-liiga; AlpsHL Taneli Maasalo ALIH Petri Pitkänen AIHL References:
Team staff Current as of 2021–22 Mestis season
KeuPa StaffRole Staff Head coach Tomas Westerlund Assistant coach Max Walther Assistant coach Tuomo Riikonen Goalkeeping coach Antti Leskinen Team manager Tuomo Riikonen Equipment manager Johannes Manni Physical therapist Kari Rautakorpi
Leaders
Team captains All team captains of the club since 2005-06:
Name Term Janne Väliaho 2005–2006 Heikki Virkajärvi 2006–2009 Toni Rautakorpi 2009–2011 Jani Lyytinen 2011–2012 Matias Kiiskinen 2012–2013 Taneli Maasalo 2013–2017 Samuel Salonen 2016–2017 Jani Ollitervo 2016–2017 Markus Jokinen 2017–2018 Waltteri Lehtonen 2017–2019 Joni Piipponen 2019–2021 Juho Koivusaari 2021–Present
Head coaches All head coaches of the club since 2007-08:
Name Term Kari Rautakorpi 2007–2015 Jussi Tupamäki 2014–2015 Ville Nieminen 2015–2016 Mikko Heiskanen 2016–2018 Niko Härkönen 2018–2019 Niko Eronen 2019–2020 Tomas Westerlund 2020–Present
References
External links KeuPa HT Home Mestis League Home Translated KeuPa HT News