Easy for Finland

Selanne is on the ice: this is the main news for fans when Norway and Finland takes the ice at the Shayba arena. As anticipated by Finnish staff, it was a minor injury suffered by the team captain. Not in the line up, instead, Norwegian Mats Trygg, injured in first game against Canada. Coach Westerlund chooses Kari Lehtonen in the net, giving ice time also for Sakari Salminen and Juuso Heitanen, scratched in the first game. Jarkko Immonen and Juhamatti Aaltonen , along with Tuukka Rask, are the not dressed players. Norway want to confirm the good impression left after debut with Canada.

Selanne celebrating his record-goal

Game ignites very soon and after 6 minutes Finland is leading by 2 goals: Teemu Selanne finds the net with a precise shot becaming the oldest player to score in the Olympic Winter Games at 43 years, 7 months and 11 days, and one minute after Lauri Korpikoski solves a confusing attack in the front of Haugen cage. Norway takes some time to re-organize the lines and has some good chances, but at 17:21 an apparently harmless shot by Lehtera is imperceptibly deflected by a stick leaving no chances for Haugen. With 3 goals in the first period, coach Johansen replaces insecure Haugen with Lars Volden. Norway has a good start in the second, with a better position on the ice and creates chances with his classy first line, but the main difference between a good team and a great one is the killing instinct: if Norway keeps the puck and tries for majority of time, Finland needs two shots to score: after some minutes of Norwegian pressure, Finland scores fourth goal with Lauri Korpikoski deflecting a shot by Olli Maatta. The skill again on ice for Finland’s fifth goal scored by Olli Jokinen finalizing a pass by Sami Salo: before to shot Jokinen pretends to pass for Ruutu, puzzling Norwegian defender. With Finland leading 5-0 game becomes less competed. Norway starts third period with a double men advantage, out Selanne and Ruutu, and manages to score with Per-Age Skroder. At 58 Finland leaves its mark in the period with a nice counter-attack finalized by Olli Maatta, served by Kontiola

in the mixed zone, questioned about the record, Selanne jokes: "Having that record makes me feel very old, but I'm just happy that the older guys can still rock. It was awesome. It was fun for me and it's fun to still be around and still feel so good."

Not so happy Norwegian goalie Lars Haugen; he simply whispers: "It was terrible." 

Norway's lone goal scorer Per-Age Skroder "The 3-0 start wasn't great. We had a good team talk beforehand about being effective in the first period, but we just weren't. Finland are a good team and we knew that, but they were just too strong in front of goal and had a few lucky bounces in front of the net in the first period."

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