Roope Hintz (R) of Finland shoots during the ice hockey men's preliminary round group B match between Finland and Slovakia at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Milan, Italy, Feb. 11, 2026. (Xinhua/Wang Kaiyan)
MILAN, Feb. 11 (Xinhua) -- The men's ice hockey competition of the Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games produced dramatic results on Wednesday, as Slovakia stunned titleholder Finland 4-1 and Sweden opened its campaign with a 5-2 win against host nation Italy.
Juraj Slafkovsky, Most Valuable Player of the 2022 Olympic tournament, spearheaded the Slovak offense by finding the net twice, including the men's competition's opening goal, guiding his side to a comfortable victory in Group B.
Slafkovsky's two goals brought his Olympic scoring tally to nine in eight games. Despite being outshot by Finland 40-25, Slovakia's defensive line stood firm, denying multiple Finnish attempts.
Finland, which enjoyed territorial and shot advantages early on, managed to level the score in the second period through Eeli Tolvanen but could not overcome Slovak resilience. After Slafkovsky's second goal of the game, Slovakia added further insurance late and sealed the win with an empty-net goal.
Slovakia's victory marked its first Olympic win over Finland. Both teams are scheduled to play on Friday, with Finland facing Nordic rival Sweden and Slovakia meeting Italy.
In the later matchup, Sweden overcame spirited resistance from Italy to secure a 5-2 win.
Despite Italy's initial advantage and spirited play, including goals from Luca Frigo and Matt Bradley, Sweden's depth and experience prevailed as it pulled clear in the second and third periods. ■
Libor Hudacek (R) of Slovakia vies with Miro Heiskanen of Finland during the ice hockey men's preliminary round group B match between Finland and Slovakia at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Milan, Italy, Feb. 11, 2026. (Xinhua/Zhang Haofu)
Niko Mikkola (C, top) of Finland competes during the ice hockey men's preliminary round group B match between Finland and Slovakia at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Milan, Italy, Feb. 11, 2026. (Xinhua/Wang Kaiyan)
Niko Mikkola (R) of Finland and Erik Cernak of Slovakia fight during the ice hockey men's preliminary round group B match between Finland and Slovakia at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Milan, Italy, Feb. 11, 2026. (Xinhua/Wang Kaiyan)
Eetu Luostarinen (C) of Finland breaks through during the ice hockey men's preliminary round group B match between Finland and Slovakia at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Milan, Italy, Feb. 11, 2026. (Xinhua/Zhang Haofu)
Dalibor Dvorsky (bottom) of Slovakia scores during the ice hockey men's preliminary round group B match between Finland and Slovakia at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Milan, Italy, Feb. 11, 2026. (Xinhua/Zhang Haofu)
Eeli Tolvanen (L, front) of Finland competes during the ice hockey men's preliminary round group B match between Finland and Slovakia at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Milan, Italy, Feb. 11, 2026. (Xinhua/Wang Kaiyan)
Joel Armia (R) of Finland vies with Martin Gernat of Slovakia during the ice hockey men's preliminary round group B match between Finland and Slovakia at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Milan, Italy, Feb. 11, 2026. (Xinhua/Wang Kaiyan)
Oliver Okuliar (R) of Slovakia competes during the ice hockey men's preliminary round group B match between Finland and Slovakia at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Milan, Italy, Feb. 11, 2026. (Xinhua/Zhang Haofu)
Milos Kelemen (C) of Slovakia breaks through during the ice hockey men's preliminary round group B match between Finland and Slovakia at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Milan, Italy, Feb. 11, 2026. (Xinhua/Wang Kaiyan)
Eeli Tolvanen (R) of Finland shoots to score during the ice hockey men's preliminary round group B match between Finland and Slovakia at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Milan, Italy, Feb. 11, 2026. (Xinhua/Zhang Haofu)
Eetu Luostarinen of Finland and Simon Nemec (C, bottom) of Slovakia fight during the ice hockey men's preliminary round group B match between Finland and Slovakia at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Milan, Italy, Feb. 11, 2026. (Xinhua/Zhang Haofu)
Samuel Hlavaj (1st L) of Slovakia saves the puck during the ice hockey men's preliminary round group B match between Finland and Slovakia at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Milan, Italy, Feb. 11, 2026. (Xinhua/Wang Kaiyan)
Players of Finland celebrate scoring during the ice hockey men's preliminary round group B match between Finland and Slovakia at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Milan, Italy, Feb. 11, 2026. (Xinhua/Wang Kaiyan)
Eetu Luostarinen (2nd R) of Finland shoots during the ice hockey men's preliminary round group B match between Finland and Slovakia at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Milan, Italy, Feb. 11, 2026. (Xinhua/Zhang Haofu)
Fans of Finland pose before the ice hockey men's preliminary round group B match between Finland and Slovakia at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Milan, Italy, Feb. 11, 2026. (Xinhua/Wang Kaiyan)
Mikko Rantanen (L) of Finland vies with Simon Nemec of Slovakia during the ice hockey men's preliminary round group B match between Finland and Slovakia at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Milan, Italy, Feb. 11, 2026. (Xinhua/Zhang Haofu)
Rusmus Ristolainen of Finland (C) defends during the ice hockey men's preliminary round group B match between Finland and Slovakia at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Milan, Italy, Feb. 11, 2026. (Xinhua/Wang Kaiyan)
Dalibor Dvorsky of Slovakia celebrates scoring during the ice hockey men's preliminary round group B match between Finland and Slovakia at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Milan, Italy, Feb. 11, 2026. (Xinhua/Wang Kaiyan)
Adrian Kempe (R) of Sweden vies against Phil Pietroniro (C) of Italy during the ice hockey men's preliminary round group B match between Italy and Sweden at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Milan, Italy, Feb. 11, 2026. (Xinhua/Wang Kaiyan)
Alessandro Segafredo (R) of Italy breaks through during the ice hockey men's preliminary round group B match between Italy and Sweden at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Milan, Italy, Feb. 11, 2026. (Xinhua/Zhang Haofu)
William Nylander (1st R) of Sweden breaks through during the ice hockey men's preliminary round group B match between Italy and Sweden at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Milan, Italy, Feb. 11, 2026. (Xinhua/Wang Kaiyan)
Mika Zibanejad (L) of Sweden shoots during the ice hockey men's preliminary round group B match between Italy and Sweden at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Milan, Italy, Feb. 11, 2026. (Xinhua/Zhang Haofu)
Gregory di Tomaso (front R) of Italy breaks through during the ice hockey men's preliminary round group B match between Italy and Sweden at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Milan, Italy, Feb. 11, 2026. (Xinhua/Wang Kaiyan)
Slovakia's Adam Ruzicka (2nd R) scores during the ice hockey men's preliminary round group B match between Finland and Slovakia at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Milan, Italy, Feb. 11, 2026. (Xinhua/Zhang Haofu)
Tomas Tatar (2nd R) of Slovakia scores during the ice hockey men's preliminary round group B match between Finland and Slovakia at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Milan, Italy, Feb. 11, 2026. (Xinhua/Zhang Haofu)
Slovakia's Adam Ruzicka (front R) celebrates a goal with teammates during the ice hockey men's preliminary round group B match between Finland and Slovakia at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Milan, Italy, Feb. 11, 2026. (Xinhua/Wang Kaiyan)
