Both Group A and Group B wrapped up with some good looking games. Mind you, I’m not sure what can be said when you compare the potential quality of a game between Canada and Slovakia to Hungary and Belarus.

Group A: Belarus 3 vs. Hungary 1 – It was a goaltenders’ duel in Zurich but for the third time this tournament, Hungary came up a little short. Despite Levente Szuper’s 39 save effort, Belarus was able to finish on top thanks to two goals in the final five minutes. Alexei Kaliuzhny had a goal and two assists and Mikhail Grabovski had a goal and assist for Belarus. The win locks Belarus into the second round (called the qualification round by the IIHF) while Hungary goes to the relegation round.

Group A: Canada 7 vs. Slovakia 3 – As much as they needed to bounce back after losing to Belarus, Slovakia couldn’t muster much of anything against Canada. The Canadians scored two quick in the first and led by as much as 5 before coasting home to the win. Dwayne Roloson made 34 saves for the win. On offense, Canada was led by four point efforts from Shea Weber (1 goal, 3 assists) and Martin St. Louis (4 assists). Canada will next play in the qualification round against the second place team from Group D.

Group A Final Standings
1. Canada 3-0-0-0, 9 Pts.
2. Belarus 1-1-0-1, 5 Pts.
3. Slovakia 1-0-1-1, 4 Pts.
4. Hungary 0-0-0-3, 0 Pts.

Group B: Russia 4 vs. Switzerland 2 – A Russian rout? Hardly. The Swiss had the majority of chances and a first period lead but when you play a team as talented as the Russian, sometimes defeat is only a matter of time. Ilya Kovulchuk had a goal and two assists and Ilya Bryzgalov made 37 saves for Russia to win their preliminary round pool. The Swiss led 2-1 after the first on the strength of two power play goals. The Russians were able to take control of the game with three unanswered goals, including an empty net goal to stretch the lead.

Group B: France 2 vs. Germany 1 – I would lead this off with a World War II reference but the French actually won which ruins my opportunities for jokes. All the scoring was in the first period with France scoring both the first and last goals of the game to take the win. Fabrice Lhenry made 30 saves for the win while Dimitri Patzold stopped 24 shots in a losing effort. The loss sends Germany to the relegation pool while France will play the winner of Group C.

Group B Final Standings
1. Russia 3-0-0-0, 9 Pts.
2. Switzerland 1-1-0-1, 5 Pts.
3. France 1-0-0-2, 3 Pts.
4. Germany 0-0-1-2, 1 Pt.

Three Stars of the Day:
1. Shea Weber (Canada) – 1 goal, 3 assists
2. Ilya Bryzgalov (Russia) – 37 saves
3. Martin St. Louis (Canada) – 4 assists

Wednesday’s Schedule:
Group C: Austria vs. Latvia
Group C: Sweden vs. USA
Group D: Denmark vs. Norway
Group D: Finland vs. Czech Republic