Canada East and Russia both clinched their respective groups, despite having different outcomes.
On Tuesday afternoon, Team Russia played their second game in 21 hours against team Switzerland, and it showed.
After Russia dominated the opening minutes of the game, Justin Sigrist scored for the Swiss to give them an early 1-0 lead.
They held that lead until the 4:26 mark when Russia fired the puck in the net on the power play – but the Swiss weren't backing down. With one minute remaining in the period Sigrist netted his second of the game, to give the Swiss a 2-1 lead.
In a wild second period the Russians tied the game once again. Andrei Svechnikov brought the score to 2-2. Team Switzerland quickly fought back. Arnaud Rait scored with 5:54 left in the second to regain the lead.
This was when the action picked up. Forty seconds after the Rait goal, Russia scored to tie the game for a third time. Alexy Lipanov found the back of the net for Russia.
Then with 2:43 left in the frame, Nils Seiler gave the Swiss a 4-3 lead heading into the final 20 minutes.
Just 54 seconds into the third period a bad bounce would cost the Swiss. The puck would go off a bunch of legs and into the back of the net to even up the score at 4-4. Three minutes later, Team Russia had their first lead of the hockey game.
With 14:33 left in the game, Ramon Tanner tied the game again for the Swiss. The Russians had lots of chances to end it in regulation but couldn't, and the game was sent into overtime.
The Swiss played defensively in overtime, creating few chances until in the final 20 seconds. A scramble out front didn't get past Russia's goaltender Dimitri Raiko.
Ivan Chekhovich picked the puck up and went down the ice on a partial breakaway. He would finish backhand with 4.9 seconds remaining to win the game.
This win made Russia the winners of Group A and gave them an automatic bye to the semi-finals.
Canada East fell to the United States in the Tuesday evening game.
The RJ Lalonde was full once again to cheer on Canada, and the game did not disappoint.
Team USA was hoping to bounce back from a shocking loss to the Czech Republic the day before.
The US got the start they wanted by taking the lead first, when Nick Swaney scored at the 7:49 mark in the opening frame.
However, the lead was short lived as Bobby Dow scored a goal for Canada East, tying the game at one apiece.
In the closing minutes of the first period the United States retook the lead. Isaac Johnson brought the red, white and blue up 2-1 after 20 minutes.
Although both teams traded chances, no goals were scored in the second period. Canada East had multiple power play opportunities in the end of the second period but couldn't capitalize.
Despite pressure from Canada East in the final period, the US would seal the deal with a goal from Collin Adams at the 15:31 mark of the third.
Canada East fell 3-1, which put them in a tie-breaker situation with the Czech Republic and the United States. Goals-for was the tie-breaking factor, and Canada East won Group B to clinched a bye to the semi-finals.
Bobby Dow was Canada East Player of the Game.
“We played well, obviously could have been better because we didn't get the win. The US are a good team and we battled hard,” said Dow.
