Finland beats Sweden 4-1 in feisty men's hockey game between archrivals at Milan Cortina Olympics

MILAN (AP) — Finland showed it has plenty of fight in reviving its Olympic campaign.

Joel Armia scored a shorthanded goal and the Finns outmuscled archrival Sweden in a 4-1 group-stage victory Friday — 20 years after the sides squared off in the gold-medal game at the Turin Games.

Finland’s win — after losing its opener at the Milan Cortina Games to Slovakia — leaves the group’s quarterfinal spot up for grabs Saturday.

“Everybody was fired up for this, and I’m sure they were too,” Finland defenseman Olli Maatta said. “These are unbelievable games to play in, and I’m very happy with the win today. We’ve just got to build off that.”

The scrappy affair featured pushing and shoving at the end of the second period, even if the stakes were lower than the 2006 Turin Games final. Sweden won that one, in a game that still resonates today for both countries.

Friday's third period opened with three players in the penalty box for each team — five for roughing and one for holding.

Anton Lundell scored in the first period and prevented a Sweden goal midway through the third — with his team leading 3-1 — when he swept the puck off the goal line.

“I don’t really know what happened, but all of sudden the puck was going in the net and I was lucky to be close and I was lucky that nobody pushed it in before me,” the Florida Panthers center said. “That was a big moment for the team, as well. We want to hold the lead in the third and not give any momentum to them.”

No one was happier than goalie Juuse Saros: “Obviously a big thanks to him.” Saros made 34 saves.

The Finns consistently outworked their rivals on the boards and were rewarded on a second-period penalty kill when Erik Haula shielded the puck from three Swedes and passed to Armia, who was alone in front of net to make it 3-1.

Finland scored twice in the opening period before Sweden fought back with a Rasmus Dahlin power-play goal in the second to make it 2-1. The Buffalo Sabres star beat Saros with a one-timer from William Nylander’s pass.

Finland opened the scoring on just its second shot on goal. Nikolas Matinpalo’s wrist shot beat Filip Gustavsson glove side, hit the left post and went in. Gustavsson gave up two goals on the first four shots he faced against Italy before stopping the final 18 in Sweden’s opener, a 5-2 victory.

The Finns doubled their lead thanks to hard work in the corner by Eetu Luostarinen, whose shot on net hit Panthers teammate Lundell’s stick, went off Gustavsson and in.

Finland killed off two power plays in the third period before Mikko Rantanen scored an empty-net goal to seal the victory.

Tensions frayed in the closing seconds of the end of the second period. Three helmets ended up on the ice after the horn blew, as players pushed and shoved around Finland’s net.

“You’re down, you’ve got to do something to try to change the momentum," Sweden forward Adrian Kempe said, “so you just try to get in there and create or something just to turn our game around and fire your teammates up or fans or whatever it is.”

Early in the third, Sweden defenseman Philip Broberg skated to the bench holding his right shoulder after taking a hit behind the net from Roope Hintz.

Finland defenseman Niko Mikkola limped off in the third period.

Adam Ruzicka’s third-period goal stood up as the winner in Slovakia’s 3-2 victory over host nation Italy. Matus Sukel and Libor Hudacek also scored for Slovakia, which improved to 2-0 following a tournament-opening win over Finland.

Stanislav Skorvanek stopped 20 shots in the win.

Dustin Gazley, who cut the lead to 3-2 with 3:35 remaining, scored and assisted on Matt Bradley’s goal for Italy, which dropped to 0-2.

Both Gazley and Bradley are among Italy's crop of foreign-born players.

Heading into the final Group B games Saturday, Slovakia leads with 6 points and faces Sweden (3 points), while Finland (3 points) takes on Italy.

The four group winners in the 12-team tournament qualify directly to the quarterfinals. The other eight teams enter a one-game playoff to join the final eight.

AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

Finland's Anton Lundell, left, scores his team's second goal past Sweden's Filip Gustavsson, during a preliminary round match of men's ice hockey between Finland and Sweden at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Friday, Feb. 13, 2026. (Alexander Nemenov/Pool Photo via AP)

Sweden's Mika Zibanejad, up, challenges Finland's Miro Heiskanen during a preliminary round match of men's ice hockey between Finland and Sweden at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Friday, Feb. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

Slovakia's Adam Ruzicka, obscured behind, celebrates scoring a goal in the third period with teammates, Peter Ceresnak (14), Martin Gernat (28), Oliver Okuliar (8) and Pavol Regenda (84) during a preliminary round match of men's ice hockey between Italy and Slovakia at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Friday, Feb. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Sweden's Mika Zibanejad, up, challenges Finland's Miro Heiskanen during a preliminary round match of men's ice hockey between Finland and Sweden at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Friday, Feb. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

Finland's Miro Heiskanen, right, challenges Sweden's Lucas Raymond, center, as he tries to score past Finland's goalkeeper Juuse Saros during a preliminary round match of men's ice hockey between Finland and Sweden at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Friday, Feb. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

Sweden and Finland players fight, during a preliminary round match of men's ice hockey between Finland and Sweden at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Friday, Feb. 13, 2026. (Alexander Nemenov/Pool Photo via AP)

Finland's Joel Armia, left, scores his sides third goal past Sweden's goalkeeper Filip Gustavsson during a preliminary round match of men's ice hockey between Finland and Sweden at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Friday, Feb. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Federal prosecutors in Minneapolis have moved to drop felony assault charges against two Venezuelan men, including one shot in the leg by an immigration officer, after new evidence emerged undercutting the government's version of events.

In a filing Thursday, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Minnesota said “newly discovered evidence” in the criminal case against Alfredo Alejandro Aljorna and Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis “is materially inconsistent with the allegations against them” made in a criminal complaint and a court hearing last month.

The government's motion asked the judge for “dismissal with prejudice,” meaning the charges against the two men cannot be resubmitted.

The pending dismissal comes after a string of high-profile shootings involving federal immigration agents where eyewitness statements and video evidence have called into question claims made to justify using deadly force. Dozens of felony cases against protesters accused of assaulting or impeding federal officers have also crumbled.

An FBI investigator said in an affidavit that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers attempted to conduct a traffic stop on a vehicle driven by Aljorna on Jan. 14. He crashed the vehicle and fled on foot toward an apartment complex. An immigration officer chased Aljorna who — according to the government — violently resisted arrest.

As the officer and Aljorna struggled on the ground, Sosa-Celis and another man came out of a nearby apartment and attacked the officer with a snow shovel and a broom handle, according to the complaint. The officer, who was not named in court filings, fired his handgun, striking Sosa-Celis in the upper right thigh. The men fled into a nearby apartment, and were arrested.

A request for comment from the U.S. Attorney for Minnesota received an automated response Friday saying the office no longer has a public information officer. There has been a wave of staff departures from the federal prosecutor's office since the Trump administration launched Operation Metro Surge, a concentrated immigration enforcement effort targeting the Twin Cities. The Justice Department in Washington has not responded to a request for comment.

The day after the shooting, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem attacked Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, accusing the Democrats of “encouraging impeding and assault against our law enforcement which is a federal crime, a felony.”

“What we saw last night in Minneapolis was an attempted murder of federal law enforcement," Noem said in a Jan. 15 statement. “Our officer was ambushed and attacked by three individuals who beat him with snow shovels and the handles of brooms. Fearing for his life, the officer fired a defensive shot.”

The Department of Homeland Security has not responded to requests for comment about whether Noem stands by those statements in light of the pending dismissal of all charges against the men.

Thursday's one-page motion seeking to drop the charges did not detail what new evidence had emerged, but cracks began to appear in the government's case during a Jan. 21 court hearing to determine whether the accused men could be released pending trial.

In court, the ICE officer's account of the moments before the shooting differed significantly from testimony from the two defendants and three eyewitnesses. The ICE officer’s account that he was assaulted with a broom and snow shovel was also not corroborated by available video evidence.

Aljorna and Sosa-Celis denied assaulting the agent with a broom or a snow shovel. Neither video evidence nor testimony from a neighbor and the men’s romantic partners supported the agent’s account that he had been attacked with a broom or shovel or that a third person was involved.

Aljorna’s attorney Frederick Goetz said Aljorna had a broomstick in his hand and had thrown it at the agent as he ran toward the house. Sosa-Celis’ attorney Robin Wolpert said he had been holding a shovel but was retreating into the home when the officer fired, wounding him. The men’s attorneys said the prosecution’s case relied wholly on testimony from the agent who fired the gun.

Neither Aljorna and Sosa-Celis had violent criminal records. Both had been working as DoorDash delivery drivers at night in an attempt to avoid encounters with federal agents, their attorneys said.

Aljorna and Sosa-Celis retreated into a nearby home and they barricaded the door to prevent federal agents from entering, according to the FBI agent. Federal officers used tear gas to try to force the men out of their home, he added. Out of concern for the safety of two children inside the home — both under the age of 2 — Aljorna and Sosa-Celis turned themselves over to authorities.

Biesecker reported from Washington.

FILE - U.S. Border Patrol officers walk along a street in Minneapolis, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Adam Gray,File)