Ella Alanko: The Cover Girl

Forward Ella Alanko returns to the Finnish WFC team after winning silver in 2011 in ST. Gallen but missing the 2013 tournament in Brno and Ostrava. Besides fighting in the rink as a power forward, the 25-year old is also the face of lots of the WFC promotion material.

“I don’t know why I was chosen for that role but luckily, there are other players giving their faces to the tournament, too. It feels a bit strange to see my face on the walls of the arenas but I try not to think about that too much. The rest of the team has been kind enough to not crack too many jokes about it yet.” But it is inside the rink that Ella Alanko has the most to give for the Finnish team. There was a time when her older sister Eliisa Alanko was the goalscorer and Ella’s role was to forecheck and muck it up in the corners, but today both are key pieces  of Finland’s offensive plays.

She is indeed the Finnish player that you’ll see most often head into the corners with full speed to wrestle for the ball. “I think my biggest strengths as a player are making plays, speed and physical play”, Ella Alanko says and adds on “a small player like me has to play strong to win one-on-ones. I have not had any major injuries from close fights and I’m definitely not afraid to go all in.”

_{Ella Alanko played for Dietlikon in season 2010/11.}

Ready to give 100%
Ella Alanko made her breakthrough playing for TPS Turku and stayed loyal for the team for years even they never played for top places. After a season with Swiss UHC Dietlikon, she returned to Turku but then followed her sister to Finland’s top team Classic Tampere. “We’ve had a good season but losing the Champions Cup final was a disappointment. In the league, our goal is to win the Finnish title and we work hard for that. Moving to Tampere when studying at the Turku University called or special arrangements and this season I have had floorball as my top priority and it has been the right time for that," law student Alanko says. In Finnish national teams, Ella Alanko won U19 WFC silver in 2006 in Germany and bronze in 2008 in Poland before the women’s 2011 WFC silver in St.Gallen.

Succesful rehearsal
In the EFT tournament in Tampere, Ella Alanko scored a goal and had two assists. The goal, was a big one as her cool penalty shot at 46.13 against Czech broke the deadlock paving way for Finland’s 3-0 win. “We played a good weekend. We’ll still need to work on our plays in the offensive zone and special situations. My own performance was ok but I can do better. I’ll need to be better at finishing and not be too hasty with the ball.” The Tampere weekend gave Ella Alanko no new impressions about Finland’s major contenders for the title. “Sweden played on their own style just as we expected and they still have no weak links. Switzerland’s first line impressed but they also have breadth in the team. Czech’s biggest asset is their defense. Against them you can expect low-scoring games.” The tournament was a WFC rehearsal for both the organization and the Finnish team. The girls stayed at their WFC hotel and got familiar with the arenas. “Our hotel looked great and the arenas, too. it’s great they are situated right next to another to make the tournament easy to watch.”

_{Ella Alanko wants a final revenge after WFC 2011 in St. Gallen, Switzerland.}

WFC title dream
Finland has invested more than usual to achieve WFC success in their home rink. For the first time, the team has their own sports psychologist as Sari Honkanen has been there for all the team’s training camps and she will also join the team for the WFC. “It is indeed something new and she has given us players useful hints for mental preparation for the games. She has done a lot of good for both the team and individual players”, Ella Alanko thanks. “Our biggest assets will be our unity as a team and our will to win the tournament. I see us winning the WFC title on December 12th at the Hakametsä Ice Hall”.