China scores twice in last minute to beat Denmark in women's Olympic ice hockey

BEIJING, Feb. 4 (Xinhua) -- China's women's ice hockey team took their first victory at Beijing 2022 Friday, beating Denmark 3-1, while the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) beat Switzerland 4-2 in Group A.

The Danish team, ranked 11th in 2021 world standings, led China at 08:06 with a goal scored by Frandsen Malene, however, toward the end of the second period, China's Lin Qiqi scored the equalizer. The Chinese team then dominated the game.

Before the final whistle, the Chinese side put the puck into the net twice in a row, thanks to Lin Ni and Lin Qiqi's performance at the very last minute meant that Denmark debuted with a bitter 1-3 defeat to China.

"We've had five breaks in last two games, but we've scored zero. It's harder playing from behind," said the head coach of China Brian Idalski.

American Idalski, 51, admitted that there was great pressure to coach a host team. "It's also a huge opportunity and responsibility, so that's exciting. And always pressure is a privilege, it means someone cares about what you are doing," He noted.

In the other match, the ROC showed their strength from the very beginning. A goal from Yekaterina Dobrodeyeva in the sixth minute moved ROC 1-0 ahead. Switzerland pulled one back in the final minutes of the first quarter, only to see ROC scored the second goal to close the period 2-1. The match turned tougher in the second period. In the 26th minute, short-handed Switzerland made full use of a fast-break chance to level the score 2-2.

Switzerland seemed to have a chance, but ROC showed no mercy by putting the puck into the net continuously later. With Shibanova Anna's one goal and Luchnikova Polina's two, the ROC beat Switzerland 5-2. The ROC is scheduled to play against the USA and Denmark is up for Japan this Saturday.