Women's World Championship. Finland - Russia - 1:2

The senior Russian women's national team played the first match at the World Championship against Finland. Head coach Alexei Chistyakov opted to put Nadezhda Alexandrova in net, while not being able to include the disqualified Olga Sosina and Anna Shokhina in the line-up.

Both teams earned plenty of powerplay opportunities in the first period, but both failed to take advantage of them. The match burst into life during the second period, where Finland took the lead. Riikka Valila scored it, tapping home from the doorstep. Alexandra Vafina thought that she had got Russia back on terms minutes later, however her effort was disallowed for goaltender interference.

Nevertheless, Russia grabbed their equaliser early in the third. Fanuza Kadirova skated into Finland's zone, twisted past her opponents and wristed beyond the Finnish goalkeeper. Our team weren't finished there either. With only one minute on the clock, Russia scored a dramatic winner. Finland took a penalty, Russia's players controlled the puck in the opposing zone and Yekaterina Smolentseva netted at point blank range. 2:1, Russia W open the World Championship with a victory!

The team's second match at the tournament will take place tomorrow against hosts the USA.

Match protocol:

Finland W - Russia W - 1:2 (0:0, 1:0, 0:2)

Goals:

1:0 Valila (Karvinen, Tapani), 26.06

1:1 Kadirova, 42.19

1:2 Smolentseva (Vafina, Shibanova), 59.10

Goalkeepers: Raty - Alexandrova

Shots on target: 26 - 19 

Penalty minutes: 14 - 8 

31.03.2017. USA.

Russian Ice Hockey Federation