Canada beats US in world junior showdown
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2006-01-01 16:58

Canada earned a bye to the semifinals at the world junior hockey championship after skating to a 3-2 victory over the United States Saturday in Vancouver.

Kyle Chipchura scored into an empty net with 33 seconds left in regulation to lift Canada to the victory, reports reaching here said.

The Americans pulled their goalie with the score tied late in the game because they needed a victory to finish ahead of Canada in the Group A standings.

With the win Canada, the defending champions, finished in first place in Group A with a 4-0 record. The U.S fell to 2-1-1 but remains in second place.

Canada has won 16 straight round-robin games - and ten straight overall - over the last two world junior tournaments.

The top three teams in Group A and Group B move on to the playoffs which begin Monday. The first-place team in each group goes directly to the semifinals while the second-place teams cross over to play the third-place squads in the other group in the quarter-finals.

Canada will have an extra day's rest and will not play until Tuesday.

In other Group A action Saturday, Finland beats Switzerland 4-1 to finish third in Group A and qualify for the playoff round.

In Group B action, Russia beat the Czechs 7-2 to remain undefeated and earn bye to semifinals. Meanwhile, Goaltender Daniel Larsson earned the shutout as Sweden blanked Slovakia 6-0. Sweden (3-1) finished second in Group B to advance to the medal round with Russia (4-0) and Czech Republic (2-2).

Canada (4-0-0) will now play in a semifinal Tuesday against the winner of Monday's quarter-final between Sweden, second in Group B and Finland, third in Group A.

The U.S. plays the Czech Republic, which finished third in Group B, in Monday's other quarter-final. The winner of that game faces Group B winner Russia on Tuesday.