Q&A with Sanni Ahola, St. Cloud State University's new program all-time wins leader

Sanni Ahola has had quite the career at St. Cloud State University. The fifth-year goaltender is the defending Western Collegiate Hockey Association’s goaltender of the year. She began the previous season breaking the record for most consecutive shutouts with four in a season. She has also represented Finland internationally, helping them to a bronze medal at the 2024 IIHF Women’s World Championship and appearing again for the Finns at the Six Nations Tournament in December.

The Helsinki native became the program's all-time wins leader with her 35th victory against St. Thomas on Friday, January 31, passing Laura Gieselman, whose record lasted almost 22 years. TIG talked to Ahola about her new record, her takeaways from this season, and how she's handling reaching the end of the season, days after her record-breaking outing.

Answers have been edited for clarity.

THE ICE GARDEN: St. Cloud defeated St. Thomas 5-2 on Friday with you in net. Were you aware that you were one win away from becoming the all-time wins leader?

SANNI AHOLA: I had no clue. So we did our handshakes after the game, you know, with the other team, and went to the circle that we do… the stick tap thing, and then some of my teammates are like, “oh, congrats Sanni!” I was like, “What are you talking about?” and I looked up [at] the board and was like, “Oh, I broke some record or something. That’s kinda cool.” So I had no clue at all that I was close to something like that.

TIG: Can you tell me a little bit about after the game? Were you able to process how you were feeling after that win?

AHOLA: I got [to] the locker room and we did our normal thing. I think [Associate Head] Coach Jinelle [Siergiej] gave me the game puck and was letting everyone know that [I] broke the school record and everyone was so hyped. So that was kind of fun.

TIG: In this game you faced St. Thomas, a team that had swept number four ranked Minnesota Duluth the weekend before. They had a lot of momentum coming in. How did you feel during the game against them?

AHOLA: We knew that they were feeling good after that UMD weekend. We just tried to do our own thing and get the game fast-paced and don't let them get into the game at all. I think that worked pretty well.

TIG: You’ve accomplished so much already in your time at St. Cloud. What does this accomplishment mean to you?

AHOLA: It feels super cool to get my name [i]n the record book. But I also didn't do it alone. So I have to thank my teammates for all the help every game and to make it possible. People can see where this program is going. We got so many more wins now and we can beat those top teams as well now, so that's super cool to see.

TIG: It was a record that was held for almost 22 years. Does that make it a bigger deal for you?

AHOLA: I thought it would have been more recent. I didn't think it would be like 20 years ago someone had that many wins. It makes it a little bit cooler.

TIG: Did you ever imagine when you left Finland, and came to St. Cloud, that you would accomplish this much? That this is what would happen when you decided to pursue hockey?

AHOLA: To be honest, when I left Finland to come here, I did not have any expectations at that time because I honestly didn't know much about college hockey and St. Cloud at all. No, I didn't think I would break this kind of record or anything.

TIG: Is there a win out of all 35 so far that means the most to you or stands out to you the most?

AHOLA: I have to say that win against Ohio [State] when they were ranked number one, that was probably the best win. It felt super good [because] it was in their barn as well.

TIG: Your time at St. Cloud is winding down as we enter the last few weeks of the season. What are some of your biggest takeaways from this season so far and from your time at St. Cloud?

AHOLA: I try not to think about it as the last semester. I try to focus on the games and helping the team as much as I can. I start to think about [how] I'm not going to walk the streets again, I'm not gonna see this place and it's so weird and I'm like, no, don't focus on that right now, still got time here. A great four and a half years so far. All the teammates. They're… so great and playing in the WCHA against the best college players. It's been so great. I've been enjoying [it] a lot and I'm gonna miss this place a lot. I tr[y] to enjoy every moment here. Every practice I'm taking it in, trying to be in the moment and enjoy it.

TIG: There is still about a month left of the regular season. What is your outlook for the rest of the season?

AHOLA: Taking [it] game by game. I don't really like to think about how many wins I will get or stuff like that. It's [a] team sport. I wanna help my team win games and at the end succeed in the playoffs and hopefully get in the NCAA tournament.

TIG: It is National Girls and Women in Sports Day so do you have any advice for girls in Finland or in the United States that want to start playing hockey or want to be a goalie?

AHOLA: Try to enjoy every time you go on the ice. Work hard. The main thing is [to] enjoy the sport. That's why we do it, because it's fun.