The Finns, this year’s Olympic champions, beat Slovakia 4-2, although it was still 2-2 after two periods. The United States, on the other hand, won 3-0 against Switzerland, who performed well in the group stage.

Earlier Thursday, defending champions Canada beat Sweden 4-3 in overtime, while the Czech Republic won 4-1 over Germany. In the semi-finals, their rivals will be the Czechs, and the Finns will face the Americans.

The quarter-final matches were played in Helsinki and Tampere.

The successful meeting between Canada and the Swedes had a particularly interesting development. The North American team was already down 0:3 after two periods, but at the end of the third period they managed to equalize and in extra time they scored the fourth goal.

The decisive hit was Drake Batherson of the Ottawa Senators 43 seconds into overtime.

“It’s a game we will never forget. If we play like we did today in the last period, we have a good chance of winning the tournament,” said Canadian captain Thomas Chabot.

In the semi-finals, their rivals will be the Czechs, and the Finns will face the Americans.

In the first part of the tournament, 16 teams were divided into two groups. The top four qualified for the quarter-finals. The weakest team in each group was relegated to Division 1A. This fate befell Italy and Great Britain.

The Poles last played in the elite championships in 2002. In April, they were promoted from third to second tier.

2022 World Cup of Hockey quarter-final results:

USA – Switzerland 3-0 (2-0, 0-0, 1-0)
Finland – Slovakia 4:2 (1:2, 1:0, 2:0)
Czech Republic – Germany 4-1 (2-0, 1-0, 1-1)
Canada – Sweden 4:3 after extra time (0:2, 0:1, 3:0; 1:0).

2022 World Cup of Hockey semi-final pairings (Saturday April 28):

Finland – United States (1:20 p.m.)
Canada – Czech Republic (5:20 p.m.).

RM, PAP