Finland Beat OAR 3-2 in Women's Hockey Bronze-Medal Game at 2018 Winter Olympics

Finland beat the Olympic Athletes from Russia 3-2 to win the bronze medal in the women's ice hockey at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

Goals from Petra Nieminen, Susanna Tapani and Linda Valimaki secured the victory for Finland at the Kwandong Hockey Centre, while Olga Sosina and Lyudmila Belyakova scored for OAR.

The bronze is Finland women's third in ice hockey, having also finished third in 1998 and 2010.

Finland and OAR took nine shots apiece in the first period, but it was the former who were the better side overall as they created the clearer opportunities to score.

OAR had given up seven power-play goals heading into the match, so it was perhaps of little surprise that Finland were able to capitalise after Maria Batalova was penalised for cross-checking.

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Nieminen supplied the goal as she tipped in Minnamari Tuominen's neat backhand flick from close range.

OAR's best chances came later in the first period, with Finland goalkeeper Noora Raty saving from Belyakova and tipping Yelena Dergachyova's shot onto the post.

Finland doubled their tally just 10 seconds into the second period as Tapani exchanged passes with Michelle Karvinen to split open OAR's defence before finishing off the move.

OAR pulled one back less than three minutes later as Sosina scored her second goal of the Games with a powerful first-time finish into the top corner, per the International Ice Hockey Federation:

Finland remained a threat as Karvinen saw a shot come off the crossbar, and they had a two-goal advantage once again before the end of the period when Valimaki took it past goalkeeper Nadezhda Morozova.

Belyakova scored a similar effort in the third to once again reduce the deficit for OAR after Jenni Hiirikoski was penalised for tripping.

However, OAR managed just three more shots in the final period despite finishing the stronger of the two sides, and they were unable to pull level.