Team Canada seals second seed in Group A with win over Finland

Natalie Spooner and Jennifer Wakefield each scored three points and Genevieve Lacasse made 15 saves to lift Canada to a 6-2 win over Finland in the final game of round-robin play.

The game was fairly close (2-1) after the first period, but eventually Canada pulled away, capitalizing on defensive mistakes and adding two more goals in each of the final two frames. Defender Jenni Hiirikoski put up two goals for Finland, but ultimately could not pull her team any closer to the Canadians.

The win stretches Canada's winning streak over Finland to 17 games, going all the way back to 1990. It also gives them a bye in the quarterfinals (they play in the semis Friday). Finland, meanwhile, waits on the second-place team from Group B, whom it will face in tomorrow's quarters.

United States 9, Russia 2: Jocelyne Lamoureux-Davidson had a hat trick and seven other Americans dotted the score sheet as the United States ended round-robin play with a perfect 3-0 record. The U.S. outshot Russia 49-5, withstanding a few mistakes that made it a 3-2 game in the second period to take control. This win is Team USA's ninth straight over Russia stretching back to 1999, and gives them a bye to Friday's semis. Russia will face the first-place team in Group B tomorrow.

Group B Play: The Swiss rebounded from a loss to Sweden with a 3-0 win over high-flying Japan, sending them to the quarterfinals. Japan outshot the Swiss 36-26, but Florence Schelling stopped them all, outplaying Nana Fujimoto (who until this point had had the best save percentage in the tournament). Japan, who needed a point in this game to get to the quarters, now has to wait on the outcome of Sweden-Germany (and hope the Germans win) or else they'll be playing in the relegation round.

Switzerland vs. Japan – 2015 IIHF Ice Hockey Women's World Championship from IIHF on Vimeo.

by Angelica Rodriguez