Emmi Lopo was tackled from behind, and his head seemed to hit the side.
Finland player of the under-18 girls' national ice hockey team Emmi Loponen was dangerously injured in the World Cup bronze medal match against Canada.
The match had been played for 37:35 and Canada was leading 6–0 in the match when a nasty incident happened.
The situation started when a puck was shot from Finland's end towards the defensive blue line. Loponen went to the side of the rink to get the puck and turned towards the center area.
At the same time, Canada Charlotte Pieckenhagen came at high speed from behind Lopo. The Finnish player hit the wing head first with force and was left lying on the surface of the ice.
“Now there will be a big crash. Pieckenhagen tackles quite violently. Is it Emmi Loponen who is hurting herself there? Worryingly motionless, he is there”, the narrator Juhavaltteri Salminen recounted the situation in a serious tone fresh on the Discovery+ channel.
The situation looked like Pieckenhagen didn't have time to react to Loponen turning his back on him.
Finland the team's doctors immediately ran to help Lopo. Loponen lay motionless on the surface of the ice for several minutes. The paramedic soon came to their aid.
“Yes, unfortunately this is an obviously real situation,” Salminen continued.
Only 14-year-old Lopo was treated for about five minutes on the surface of the ice. A stretcher was brought to Kaukalo to transport the player off the ice and for treatment. Loponen received resounding cheers from the audience when he was carried off the ice on a stretcher.
The referees went to check the situation on video. In the end, Pieckenhagen received a two-minute penalty for a wing tackle. After this, the match continued.
A match followed reporter Nicole Haase wrote in X that the situation left its mark at least on him.
“Honestly, I'm a little shocked and it feels weird that the game just keeps going.”
There is no information about Loponen's condition or well-being yet.
The match is still in progress. Canada leads 7–0.
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