St. Cloud State has announced the addition of Noora Räty and Emily Ach to the women’s hockey coaching staff as assistant coaches ahead of the 2024-25 season.
“We’re excited to add Noora to our staff and bring Emily back to St. Cloud in a full-time role,” said SCSU head coach Brian Idalski in a statement. “Noora brings a wealth of high-level experience from her successful playing career and understands the grind that is the WCHA. Emily is familiar with the program after previously spending two years with us, which is a huge benefit. Even though she is young in her coaching career, she brings great experience.”
“Thank you to Brian Idalski and director of athletics Holly Schreiner for the opportunity to join St. Cloud State,” said Räty. “I’m excited to work alongside a great staff. Brian was one of the best, if not the best, head coaches I had during my career, so it is an honor to work for him now. I’m looking forward to making an impact in our student-athletes’ lives on and off the ice.”
“I am extremely excited to be back at St. Cloud State with Brian, Jinelle and the addition of Noora,” said Ach. “I believe in what this program can achieve and I’m excited to be a part of it. I am looking forward to the season ahead with the staff, players and fans. Go Huskies.”
Räty comes to St. Cloud after spending the 2023-24 season as the goaltenders coach for Shenzhen Kunlun Red Star of the Chinese Women’s Ice Hockey League (WCIHL) where she helped the team win the league’s inaugural championship. Prior to her first season as a coach in China, Räty spent 19 years as a goaltender at the collegiate, professional and international level.
Regarded as one of the best goaltenders in the world, Räty represented Finland in four Olympic Games and nine IIHF World Championships, winning two Olympic bronze medals and five IIHF medals (one silver and four bronze). At the Olympics, she was named an all-star once and at the World Championships, she won the best goaltender Award five times, was named to the all-star team four times and earned MVP honors once. Räty was a three-time champion while playing in Russia (Russian Women’s Hockey League/Zhenskaya Hockey League) and was named the goaltender of the year in the Canadian Women’s Hockey League (CWHL).
During her collegiate career at Minnesota, Räty was a two-time All-American and won two NCAA tournament championships. She owns the NCAA record for winning percentage in a season (1.000, 38-0-0, 2013). In the NCAA record book, Räty currently ranks second in career goalie shutouts (43), tied for second in career goalie wins (114), tied for second in goalie shutouts in a season (17, 2013), fifth in career save percentage (.946), tied for seventh in careers goals-against average (1.34), tied for seventh in season save percentage (.956, 2013), tied for eighth in career goalie winning percentage (.849), 10th in season goals against average (0.96, 2013) and 19th in career saves (3,250). She led the NCAA in save percentage (.956, 2013), goals-against average (1.35, 2012) and goalie winning percentage (1.000, 2013).
Prior to her NCAA career, Räty enjoyed success in the Naisten SM-sarja, the top women’s hockey league in Finland (renamed Naisten Liiga in 2017). Räty was a three-time champion and two-time most valuable performer of the playoffs. She was also named rookie of the year in 2005-06 before being named to the all-star team and the best goaltender in 2006-07.
Ach returns to SCSU after spending the 2023-24 season as an assistant coach at Mercyhurst. Prior to Mercyhurst, she spent two seasons as the SCSU women’s hockey operations and video coordinator graduate assistant after an extremely successful playing career at Augsburg. As a player, Ach earned all-MIAC honors her senior season and spent two years with PWHPA Minnesota post-graduation.
She graduated from Park Center High School in 2016 where she participated in hockey, softball and cross country. At Park Center, she was named the female athlete of the year and received all-conference honors her junior and senior seasons on the ice. Ach began playing hockey at the age of five for the North Metro Youth Hockey Association.
Ach earned her master’s degree from St. Cloud State in Sports Management and her bachelor’s degree from Augsburg in Elementary and Mathematics Education.
