Finland beats Sweden 4-1 in feisty men's hockey game between archrivals at Milan Cortina Olympics
- - Finland beats Sweden 4-1 in feisty men's hockey game between archrivals at Milan Cortina Olympics
KEN MAGUIRE February 13, 2026 at 7:42 PM
0
1 / 4Milan Cortina Olympics Ice HockeyFinland's Joel Armia, left, scores his sides third goal past Sweden's goalkeeper Filip Gustavsson during a preliminary round match of men's ice hockey between Finland and Sweden at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Friday, Feb. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)
MILAN (AP) — Joel Armia scored a shorthanded goal as Finland revived its Olympic campaign by beating archrival Sweden 4-1 on Friday in a group-stage victory 20 years after the sides squared off in the gold-medal game at the Turin Games.
Finland’s win — after losing its opener at the Milan Cortina Games to Slovakia — leaves the group’s quarterfinal spot up for grabs Saturday.
The feisty affair featured pushing and shoving at the end of the second period, even if the stakes were lower than the 2006 Turin Games final. Sweden won that one, in a game that still resonates today for both sides.
The third period opened with three players in the penalty box for each team.
The Finns consistently outworked their rivals on the boards and were rewarded on a second-period penalty kill when Erik Haula shielded the puck from three Swedes and passed to Armia, who was alone in front of net to make it 3-1.
Finland scored twice in the opening period before Sweden fought back with a Rasmus Dahlin power-play goal in the second to make it 2-1. The Buffalo Sabres star beat goalie Juuse Saros with a one-timer from William Nylander’s pass.
Finland opened the scoring on just its second shot on goal. Nikolas Matinpalo’s wrist shot beat Filip Gustavsson glove side, hit the left post and went in. Gustavsson gave up two goals on the first four shots he faced against Italy before stopping the final 18 in Sweden’s opener, a 5-2 victory.
The Finns doubled their lead thanks to hard work in the corner by Eetu Luostarinen, whose shot on net hit Florida Panthers teammate Anton Lundell’s stick, went off Gustavsson and in.
Finland killed off two power plays in the third period before Mikko Rantanen scored an empty-net goal to seal the victory.
Tensions frayed at the end of the second period with Sweden trying to close the gap. Three helmets ended up on the ice after the horn blew, as players pushed and shoved around Finland’s net.
___
AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics
Source: “AOL Sports”
