The Finnish men’s national ice hockey team wrapped up the Olympic preliminary round on Saturday, February 14, at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics at the Santagiulia Arena with a dominant 11–0 victory over Italy.
Seven different Lions players scored against Italy, setting an Olympic record with 62 shots on goal.
Sebastian Aho opened the scoring in the seventh minute, with Mikael Granlund and Kaapo Kakko adding goals to give Finland a 3–0 lead after the first period.
In the second stanza, Joel Kiviranta scored on his Olympic debut, followed by another goal from Kakko and Granlund’s second of the night before intermission.
In the third period, Miro Heiskanen and Artturi Lehkonen extended Finland’s lead during power plays.
Aho netted his second goal of the game before Joel Armia and Kiviranta rounded out the scoring at 11–0.
Players noted that their power-play success has boosted confidence for upcoming matches. With Anton Lundell sidelined due to illness and Oliver Kapanen held out as a precaution, the team coach Antti Pennanen viewed these lineup changes as an opportunity to showcase Finland’s depth.
Finland’s quarterfinal fate will be decided on Sunday after the other games.
