Italy suffered a clear defeat against the USA in the end © Masi-GMT CIP

In front of 9.000 fans: Depaoli lets Italy dream for a brief moment.

Italy's Para ice hockey national team suffered an opening defeat at the Winter Paralympics in Milan: The Azzurri lost to the USA by double digits – however, there was a historic moment with South Tyrolean participation right at the start.

March 07, 2026

From: fop

Coach Mirko Bianchi's team suffered a clear 1-14 defeat against the defending champions and overwhelming favorites. Nevertheless, the Blue Team, with its six South Tyrolean players in the squad, provided a memorable moment.

After just 25 seconds, Kaltern's Christoph Depaoli (here we have portrayed him) Italy took the lead with a swift counterattack, sending the Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena into a frenzy. For the Americans, aiming for their fifth consecutive gold medal at these Games, the early deficit was merely a brief wake-up call: they turned the game around in the first period and went into the first intermission with a comfortable 9-1 lead. The following two periods were a one-sided affair.

New Paralympic spectator record

Besides the Azzurri's early goal, there was another special moment: 8.992 spectators set a new attendance record in Para Ice Hockey. This surpassed the previous record of 8.462 fans from the Gold Final in Salt Lake City in 2002.

“We knew it would be difficult. But we'll take Depaoli's opening goal and the strong first 15 minutes with us,” explained national coach Mirko Bianchi after the game. “The crowd was fantastic and gave us tremendous support. After that, however, the difference in class became apparent. For us, it's important to stay focused on our game plan throughout the entire match.”

After their opening match, Italy now faces a crucial game: On Monday at 10:05 a.m., Rosa and his teammates will take on China. The Asian team won their first match against Germany convincingly 12-0 – making these points vital in the fight for second place in the group and a place in the semi-finals.

USA – Italy 14:1

USA: Lee (Lamarre); Wallace-Cunningham; Dodson-Eustace-Mckee; Grove-Pauls; Beasley-Bolton-Farmer; Roybal-Nichols-Jones.
Coach: David Hoff.

Italy: Kasslatter (from 18:57 Stillitano); Enderle – Landeros; Rosa – Larch – Depaoli; Macrì – Antioch; Kalegaris - Kafmann - Andreoni; Remotti Marnini – Radice – Torella.
Coach: Mirko Bianchi.

Gates: 0-1 Depaoli (0.25), 1-1 Eustace (4.46), 2-1 Bolton (9.00), 3-1 Farmer (11.18), 4-1 Bolton (16.39), 5-1 McKee (17.54), 6-1 Farmer (18.29), 7-1 Beasley (18.57), 8-1 Grove (20.18), 9-1 Farmer (22.25), 10-1 Farmer (23.16), 11-1 Jones (33.40), 12-1 Nichols (34.12), 13-1 Wallace (35.44), 14-1 Eustace (42.46)

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