Russia's hockey team scored a 1:0 victory over Finland on Thursday in the first game of the four-nation Karjala Tournament, with Center Aleksander Svitov scoring the only goal.
Svitov scored the goal just two minutes before the end of the game. Russian Goalkeeper Vasily Koshechkin used his extreme height to block 25 goal attempts.
A match between the other two competitors in the tournament, Sweden and Czech Republic, ended in a 4-3 win to Sweden.
The Russian side faces Sweden on Saturday and Czech Republic on Sunday.
The Karjala Tournament is an annual ice hockey cup held in Finland. It has been held since 1996 as part of the Euro Hockey Tour.
HELSINKI, November 11 (RIA Novosti)