Ice Hockey World Championship

Canada wins group, Switzerland beats Finland

Canada has secured group victory at the Ice Hockey World Championships with a win over hosts the Czech Republic. The "Maple Leafs" won their last group game in Pool A 4:3 after overtime in Prague on Tuesday and will face Slovakia in the quarter-finals on Thursday. 

The Czech Republic slipped back to third place as Switzerland defeated Finland 3:1 to finish second. This is bitter for Austria, as they would have advanced if they had beaten Great Britain.

However, the ÖEHV team suffered a surprising 4-2 defeat in the midday game against the previously winless relegated team. A historic quarter-final with Sweden as their opponents was missed as a result, and the Finns will now face their neighbors instead.

Canada cheers in overtime
Hosts the Czech Republic overcame a 1:3 deficit against the Canadians in the last four minutes. In the fourth minute of overtime, however, Dylan Cozens of the Buffalo Sabres scored while shorthanded to give the North Americans the win. Canada thus remains without a defeat. Meanwhile, the Czechs can look forward to further NHL reinforcements. David Pastrnak and Pavel Zacha from the Boston Bruins will travel to the quarter-finals against the USA after their club's play-off exit.

The Americans secured second place in Group B with a 6-3 win over Latvia. The Baltics thus missed out on advancing to the last eight, while the Slovaks are through despite a 6-1 defeat against Sweden in Ostrava. The three-crown team came through the group phase without a blemish, with seven outright victories in seven games. Germany defeated France 6:3 to finish third in Group B and can now look forward to playing Switzerland.