Agosta stars as Canada women hit sorry Slovakia for 18

 MEGHAN Agosta and Jayna Hefford both bagged a hat-trick as defending ice hockey champions Canada gave Slovakia a Vancouver welcome to remember, chalking up a record 18-0 victory.

RUNNING RIOT: Canada thump Slovakia 18-0, setting a new Olympic record in the process (Getty Images)

In racking up 18 without reply, Canada beat their Olympic own record of 16, achieved against Italy four years ago.

Agosta and Hefford were both in red-hot form while Carla Macleod, Gina Kingsbury and Hayley Irwin also notched doubles as the hosts ran riot at Canada Hockey Place, laying down an early marker as they bid for a third straight Olympic title.

Canada flew out of the blocks and raced into a 7-0 lead in the first period, catching Slovakia shell-shocked, before easing their foot off the pedal and giving the majority of their squad a run out.

Indeed, no less than 11 different scorers were on target as Canada toyed with their inferior opponents.

Goals from Irwin and Tessa Bonhomme gave Canada a flying start within the opening three minutes, before Agosta notched her first of the night.

Macleod and Agosta then added another two before Gina Kingsbury and Colleen Sostorics added a further two before the first period was over.

Canada were just as relentless in the second period and Sarah Vaillancourt and Marie-Philip Poulin-Nadeau made in nine before the half-hour mark.

Agosta then completed her hat-trick and Jayna Hefford grabbed her first before Caroline Ouellette made it 12.

Macleod brought up the 13th and Hefford slotted her second in the third quarter as Slovakia grew desperate for the buzzer to sound.

But having opened the scoring, Irwin returned to the ice to bag her second while Cherie Lee Piper made it 16 with still 13 minutes remaining.

Hefford soon had her hat-trick and Kingsbury added another with the only surprise being that captain Hayley Wickenheiser failed to get on the scoresheet.

 AS IT HAPPENS: Day two of the 2010 WInter Olympics in Vancouver