MILANO, ITALY — Four-time defending Paralympic champion United States opened the Paralympic para ice hockey tournament with a 14–1 victory over host Italy Saturday night at the Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena.

Playing in front of a packed and energetic crowd waving Italian flags and thunder sticks, the host nation stunned the arena just 25 seconds into the game when Christoph Depaoli scored to give Italy an early 1–0 lead.

The early strike briefly ignited the crowd, but the United States, a team that has dominated Paralympic para ice hockey for more than a decade, quickly found its rhythm.

David Eustace tied the game minutes later, and the Americans steadily built momentum throughout the opening period, eventually taking a 3–1 lead into the first intermission while heavily outshooting Italy. Head coach David Hoff credited the team’s response after conceding the opening goal.

“After that little start, I thought we really settled down and got after them,” Hoff said.

Brett Bolton added the second U.S. goal of the period, scoring his first Paralympic goal to give the Americans the lead. Declan Farmer extended the advantage before the break as the United States began to establish sustained pressure in the Italian zone.

One of the more unique moments of the opening period came when U.S. goaltender Jen Lee faced a penalty shot from Italy’s Nikko Landeros, a former teammate on the U.S. national team. Lee made the save, denying Landeros and preserving the United States lead.

Farmer led the surge with three goals in the second period, while Brett Bolton, Kevin McKee and Noah Grove also found the net. Kayden Beasley added his first Paralympic goal as the Americans scored seven times in the middle frame, turning a competitive first period into a commanding lead.

“It’s really good to have a lot of the young guys on the scoreboard getting their first Paralympic goals,” Farmer said after the game.

Italy attempted to shift momentum midway through the second period by changing goaltenders, bringing in Santino Stillitano in place of Julian Kasslatter. The move did little to slow the United States attack.

Italy’s goaltenders faced heavy pressure as the Americans controlled puck possession and quickly shut down Italian breakout attempts. By the end of the matchup, Italy had faced 53 shots on goal from the defending Paralympic champions.

Still, the home crowd remained engaged throughout the evening. Nearly 9,000 spectators repeatedly chanted “Italia,” sang along with arena music and even started a wave that circled the arena for more than two minutes.

The United States continued its attack in the third period, adding four more goals including tallies from Malik Jones, Evan Nichols, Jack Wallace and a late goal from Eustace to close the scoring.

Captain Josh Pauls said balanced scoring was a positive sign for the team.

“It’s exciting anytime we can divide up the scoring like we did, nine different players scoring,” Pauls said. “I think it bodes well for the future.”

Hoff emphasized the importance of maintaining focus.

“It’s tough sometimes to stay sharp when you’re up by that much,” Hoff said. “But for us it’s about playing the right way every shift and making sure we’re ready for the next game.”

The United States returns to the ice Monday against Germany in preliminary round play. Germany lost to China earlier Saturday.