Playing at their first Olympic tournament, Slovenia were projected by many to be blown out by powerhouse Russia.

Things appeared headed that way after Russia opened the scoring through Alex Ovechkin after only one minute and then extended the lead three minutes later with a goal by Evgeni Malki.

But against all odds, Slovenia turned things around in the second period, catching the Russians off guard to first reduce their lead to 2-1 in the 26th minute and then again to 3-2 in the 39th minute.

Both Slovenian goals were scored by Žiga Jeglič.

The crowd in the Bolshoi Ice Dome was silenced by the strong second quarter showing by country which boasts only 148 professional ice hockey players.

Responding to the threat of a potential upset at the hands of minnows, the star-studded Russian team turned up the heat in the third period.

The pressure on the Slovenian goal paid dividends as Valeri Nischushkin restored a two-goal cushion for Russia in the 44th minute.

Four minutes later, Anton Belov gave the Russians their first three-goal lead of the match at 5-2, which was the final score.

Slovenia's next match will be on Saturday against Slovakia, who offered little resistance in crashing to a 7-1 defeat at the hands of the US today.