Luleå Takes Second Game of Northern Derby as Viivi Vainikka’s PWHL Stock Continues to Rise.
Playing at home in front of 4071 fans on Tuesday evening, Viivi Vainikka and Luleå put on a show of force, defeating Skellefteå 7-0.
After a rather uneventful first period, Luleå flexed their muscle in the second, scoring four goals in eight minutes to claim their second win against Northern rivals Skellefteå in 6 days. Skellefteå, who performed admirably in a 2-1 loss to Luleå last Wednesday, were simply outgunned by the reigning champions’ superior firepower.
Luleå’s Petra Nieminen opened the scoring, batting a bouncing puck past Skellefteå goalie Miranda Dahlgren just one minute into the second period. 23 seconds later, Viivi Vainikka scored a highlight reel goal when she collected the puck in her own zone, turned on the jets, beat two defenders to the goalmouth and tucked a rude backhand five hole past Dahlgren to make it 2-0. The goal was Vainikka’s 100th career marker for Luleå, no small feat considering the Finn is still only 22-years-old. Not to be outdone, teammate Akane Shiga scored a spicy one of her own, stripping the puck from a Skellefteå defender before turning and ripping a snap shot top corner past a shellshocked Dahlgren. The onslaught continued as Nieminen soon struck again, this time redirecting a Johanna Fällman point shot to give Luleå a rather sudden 4-0 lead.
In the third period, Luleå continued to dominate both puck possession and scoring, and got two more goals: captain Jenni Hiirikoski’s first of the season, and a powerful snipe by young Astrid Lindeberg. Viivi Vainikka’s second of the evening closed out the scoring to give Luleå a 7-0 win. Sara Grahn was perfect in goal, making 9 saves to record the shutout.
Viivi Vainikka continues to distinguish herself. Coming into this game, she led the league in faceoff percentage, winning over 62% of her draws. She is fast in open ice, using her power and superior glide to create separation between herself and defenders. In small areas, she is quick and deceptive, often turning on a dime to break her opponents’ ankles. Her hands are fast too, and she has a scorer’s touch. She has excellent vision, and plays with an edge. On a team as talented as Luleå, it can be hard to stand out. But Vainikka does, shift after shift, game after game. She brought 4071 spectators to their feet multiple times this evening, just by being herself. Powerful stuff on a team full of powerful players.