U.S. Wins First Gold; U.S. Women Open With Hockey Win

Sage Kotsenburg of the United States owns the first gold medal of the 2014 Olympics, soaring to victory in the men's snowboarding slopestyle final.

Kotsenburg had a score of 93.50 to edge Staale Sandbech of Norway. Mark McMorris of Canada, who barely made the finals, took bronze.

Canadian Max Parrot, who topped qualifying on Thursday, missed the podium. He washed out at the end of his first run and his second run wasn't quite crisp enough. Parrot finished fifth.
 
The U.S. women's hockey team got off on the right foot, defeating Finland 3-1. Hilary Knight scored 53 seconds into the opener of the women's hockey tournament. Jesse Vetter needed only 14 saves.
 
Other medals today at the Sochi games will be awarded in the men's 5,000-meter speedskating, the men's 10-kilometer sprint in biathlon, the women's moguls, and the women's 15-kilometer skiathlon.