Finland beat defending champions Russia 2-1 on Sunday to win the country's first gold medal in ice hockey at the Beijing Olympic Games.
Russia had scored first on a power-play goal by Mikhail Grigorenko in the opening period. However, the Finnish side went on the attack to regain controll of the game, winning with goals by Ville Pokka and Hannes Bjorninen.
Russia had scored first on a power-play goal by Mikhail Grigorenko in the opening period. However, the Finnish side went on the attack to regain controll of the game, winning with goals by Ville Pokka and Hannes Bjorninen.
The Russian squad had advanced to Sunday’s finale after beating Sweden 2-1 in a semifinal on Friday that included a 17-shot shootout. It was the second consecutive gold medal appearance at the Olympic Games for the Russians, who beat Germany for the title in South Korea in 2018.
In the semifinal at the Beijing Olympic Games, Finland had beat Slovakia, 2-0.