Finland won its first Olympic gold medal in men’s hockey on Sunday, edging the defending champion Russian Olympic Committee 2-1 in the final event of the Beijing Games.
Finland ended with a 7-0 record in the Olympics, which didn’t have NHL players for the second straight year. Rosters were filled mostly with players from colleges, European leagues and other less famous circuits.
Hannes Bjorninen scored the winning goal 31 seconds into the third period, and Ville Pokka scored early in the second for Finland, which overcame a 1-0 deficit. Goalie Harri Sateri made 16 saves.
Finland’s previous best finishes in the Olympics were silver medals at the 1988 Games in Calgary and the 2006 event in Turin.
The Russians beat Germany 4-3 in overtime for the gold medal in the 2018 Pyeongchang Games.
–Field Level Media
