Ice Hockey: Finns off to a fast start

(First Edition)

Finland cruised to a 3-1 victory over the Czech Republic in the first competitive action of the Winter Olympics in Lillehammer. The Finnish defenceman Timo Jutila scored the opening goal of the tournament with a sixth-minute long-distance wrist shot, which caught out the Czech goaltender Petr Briza. The centre-forward Janne Ojanen made it 2-0 in the eighth before Kamil Kastak replied for the Czechs in the 18th minute with a low shot. Briza was again surprised in the 35th minute as the winger Sami Kapanen slapped a shot past him to make the score 3-1 and secured victory in the Group A game in the 12-team tournament.