Minnesota State junior forward
Nina Tikkinen returned to Mankato from her 2010 Olympic journey as the first Minnesota State athlete to earn an Olympic medal.
Team Finland defeated Team Sweden February 25, by a score of 3-2 to earn the Bronze medal in the 2010 Vancouver Olympic games.
The third-year Maverick finished the tournament playing in all five games and earned two goals on 13 shots, one of which was a power play tally. Both of Tikkinen’s goals came in her Olympic debut, in which Finland defeated the Russian Federation, 5-1.
Quotes from Tikkinen:
Can you tell us a little bit about your experience in Vancouver?
“It was a great experience and I will remember it for the rest of my life. The village was full of great athletes and we could feel Olympic spirit. Even though everyone was competing against one another, we were all still friends.”
Who are some of the famous athletes you met there?
“I met many of the Finnish athletes, sat by Shaun White in the cafeteria but didn’t know who it was. I also saw Crosby and Ovechkin, they are not as cute as everyone thinks.”
Can you talk about scoring two goals in your first Olympic game?
“They weren’t as important to me than for the team. It's a team sport, it doesn’t matter who scores the goals. They did increase my confidence. With the goals I scored, it helped the team win an important game, which was important and felt good.”
How does it feel to represent your country in the Olympics?
“It means a lot to me. I am proud to have been born in Finland and happy to represent Team Finland. It also means a great deal to be the first Minnesota State athlete to win an Olympic Medal.”
Tikkinen’s Olympic game-by-game
| Date |
Opponent |
Result |
G-A--P |
Shots |
+/- |
Pen-Min |
Min. Played |
| 2/14 |
Russian Fed. |
W, 5-1 |
2-0--2 |
6 |
+1 |
0-0 |
18:44 |
| 2/16 |
China |
W, 2-1 |
0-0--0 |
4 |
-1 |
0-0 |
21:44 |
| 2/18 |
USA |
L, 6-0 |
0-0--0 |
1 |
-1 |
0-0 |
19:14 |
| 2/22 |
Canda |
L, 5-0 |
0-0--0 |
0 |
-2 |
0-0 |
19:54 |
| 2/25 |
Sweden |
W, 3-2 |
0-0--0 |
2 |
0 |
0-0 |
17:22 |
| TOTALS |
|
|
2-0--2 |
13 |
-3 |
0-0 |
96:58 |
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