MILAN, Feb 5 (Reuters) - Tournament underdogs Italy got the party started in front of their home fans on Thursday, earning its first-ever women's ice hockey win in an Olympics with a 4-1 victory over France in front of a raucous crowd at Santagiulia Arena.
The action kicked off without any issues at the newly built venue in Milan, as over 9,000 people gathered to watch the match wrapped in flags in a joyful mood, helping shrug off previous concerns that 15,300-seat Santagiulia would not be ready for the event.
"We're ready to do more than just participating (at these Games)," forward Matilde Fantin, who scored one of Italy's goals, said after the game. "Playing here gave me goosebumps".
Organisers worked around the clock until as late as Thursday morning to have the venue fit for Thursday's game, with dozens of people busy laying cables, finishing interiors, cleaning and setting up hospitality areas.
"The venue is clearly 85% finished, but it's beautiful, you have very good visibility from every spot," said Mattia, from Milan, who watched the contest with his wife and their two daughters. "The experience was great, it was very exciting to be here with Italy winning".
Thursday's win is expected to create growing enthusiasm around the team as Italy proceeds in a tournament that features the world's hockey heavyweights, including Beijing 2022 medallists Canada, United States and Finland.
Fans in the arena repeatedly chanted "Italia, Italia" with growing enthusiasm as Italy scored four unanswered goals after falling behind 0-1.
Apart from 35-year-old Laura Fortino, who won gold with Canada in 2014 and silver four years later, all of Italy's women players were making their Olympic debuts.
Goaltender Gabriella Durante said no one had great expectations for Italy's ice hockey team, but she and all her team mates were confident.
"This arena is beautiful. I didn't expect it to be so packed and noisy, this atmosphere helped us give our best," she said.
Even on the men's side, ice hockey remains a niche discipline in Italy, largely confined to Alpine communities.
"Italy's women were up to the game, we knew they worked hard to improve. And it was magic to see this game in this arena, which has no peers at least here in Italy," said Werner Stocker, who is from the alpine city of Bolzano and the father of Italy team member Franziska Stocker.
Overall, registered hockey players in Italy amount to around 5,400 versus some 25,000 in France or 13,000 in Slovakia.
"Italy have practiced very hard in Canada. They have a coach from Quebec, they have improved a lot and have definitely good chances to qualify for the next stage," said Frank, a Canadian national of Italian origin who travelled from Montreal to see the game.
Italy's only previous Olympic appearance came at the Turin 2006 home Games, where the women's ice hockey team lost all five games and scored just three goals.
A bright, sunny day helped create a relaxed mood around the contest.
"When I turned the corner and the venue appeared in front of me, the only thing I could say was 'wow'," said Aurelien, who arrived in Milan from Picardie to support France.
(Reporting by Giulio PiovaccariEditing by Bill Berkrot)
