Slovakia hold off Italy to make it two Olympic wins

Slovakia defeated hosts Italy 3–2 to maintain a perfect start to the Olympic men’s tournament. The Slovaks followed their opening victory against Finland with a much closer game that required them to preserve an advantage until the final moments.

Adam Ruzicka scored the winning goal and Stanislav Skorvanek made nineteen saves for Slovakia. Dustin Gazley contributed a goal and an assist for Italy, whose goalkeepers Davide Fadani and Damien Clara combined to stop thirty-six shots during the contest.

Slovak players acknowledged defensive mistakes despite controlling much of the play, identifying the need for improvement as the tournament progressed. Italy again offered competitive resistance against a stronger opponent, drawing encouragement from the effort even as the result left the hosts without a preliminary-round victory.