The U.S. Junior Select Team and Canada West have advanced to the 2012 World Junior A Challenge gold medal game after each posted impressive victories in semifinal-round competition on Friday at Mariners Centre in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia.

The championship match is slated Sunday at Mariners Centre.

For the United States, it marks the fourth time in five year the Americans have advanced to the gold medal game. The U.S. had won three consecutive tournament titles from 2008 to 2010 before Canada East ended the run last year in the semifinals.

Canada West, which defeated Canada East in the 2011 World Junior A Challenge, will be seeking its second straight gold medal in the tournament.

The U.S. Junior Select Team erupted for five goals in the first period en route to a 7-4 victory over Switzerland in the semifinal round of the 2012 World Junior A Challenge on Friday at Mariners Centre in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia.

The United States advances to Sunday's championship game to face defending champion Canada West at Mariners Centre.

Sheldon Dries, Nicholas Schilkey, Vince Hinostroza, Ryan Fitzgerald and Blake Heinrich scored goals in the opening period, when the U.S. held an 18-9 advantage in shots.

Waterloo Black Hawks defenseman Ian McCoshen, one of the top players eligible for the 2013 NHL Draft in June, will continue his career at Boston College next fall.

McCoshen, who NHL Central Scouting ranked an A-rated skater on its preliminary players to watch list in the United States Hockey League, is currently sidelined with mononucleosis.

In addition to Boston College, the 6-foot-2.5, 207-pound defenseman was also being courted by the University of Nebraska-Omaha, University of Minnesota-Duluth, Ohio State University and the University of North Dakota.

"We have a good freshman class coming in [at Boston College]," McCoshen told NHL.com via email. "When I visited the guys at BC, they really opened up to me and I was able to see how great they are and how fine the hockey program is, as well."

The semifinal round of the 2012 World Junior A Challenge was set on Thursday after Switzerland and Canada East each posted victories in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia.

The Swiss will take on the United States and Canada East will meet Canada West in the semifinal matches slated Friday. The winner advances to the gold medal game at Mariners Centre on Sunday.

Switzerland, which has reached the final four for the second time in as many tournament appearances, received goals from Shane Conacher, Christoph Bertschy, Robin Leone and Dean Kukan in recording a 4-1 triumph over Russia. Meanwhile, Shane Conacher connected for a pair of power-play goals to lift Canada East to a 4-0 win over Czech Republic. Charlie Finn made 25 saves for the shutout.

NHL Central Scouting's Chris Edwards checked in with NHL.com after the quarterfinal-round matchups on Thursday with his top three players of the evening.

There were several top performances for Canada West and Canada East on Wednesday when each team posted a victory during day three of the 2012 World Junior A Challenge in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia.

Chris Edwards, NHL Central Scouting

Troy Stecher's power-play goal 1:22 into overtime gave Canada West a 4-3 win over Russia on the final day of preliminary-round play of the tournament, clinching first place in Group A for Canada West. Dalen Hedges scored twice to give Canada East its first victory of the tournament, 4-3 over Switzerland.

NHL Central Scouting's Chris Edwards, who is in Yarmouth scouting the event and taking names, provided NHL.com his daily top three stars of the night.

Troy Stecher's power-play goal 1:22 into overtime gave Canada West a 4-3 win against Russia on Wednesday, the final day of preliminary-round play in the 2012 World Junior A Challenge, in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia.

The win clinched first place in Group A for Canada West and earned it a bye into the tournament semifinals Friday.

Canada West goalie Jonah Imoo stopped 37 of 40 shots as Russia outshot Canada West 40-19.

Stecher's teammate with the Penticton Vees of the British Columbia Hockey League and fellow 2013 NHL Draft prospect Wade Murphy opened the scoring with a power-play goal 3:34 into the second, but Russia responded with goals two minutes apart to take a 2-1 lead. Seb Lloyd scored with 15 seconds left in the second to tie the game.

Aaron Hadley put Canada West up 3-2 two minutes into the third, but Russia's Sergei Stetsenko, a C-rated skater in NHL Central Scouting's preliminary rankings of players to watch for this year's draft, scored at 14:09 of the third to force overtime.

Yannik Rathgeb scored in the seventh round of a shootout to give Switzerland a 5-4 victory over the United States on the second day of the 2012 Under-18 Four Nations Tournament on Wednesday at the Ann Arbor Ice Cube in Michigan.

Rathgeb, a 5-foot-11, 165-pound wing, finished the game with two goals for the Swiss.

Shane Eiserman connected for a shorthanded goal 9:02 into the third to give the United States (1-0-1) a 4-3 lead in the third period before Rathgeb connected for a power-play goal 24 seconds later to knot the contest.

Following a scoreless five-minute overtime, during which each team was credited with two shots, the game entered a shootout. Eiserman, who was named Team USA's player of the game, and Tyler Kelleher each had a goal and one assist in the loss.

The second day of the 2012 World Junior A Challenge in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, saw the United States score a 4-3 victory over Switzerland and Canada West cruise past the Czech Republic.

The triumph catapults the unbeaten United States (2-0) into Friday's semifinal contest. Canada West will play Russia in Wednesday's Group A finale, with a bye into the semifinal round at stake.

NHL Central Scouting's Chris Edwards was front and center during Tuesday's doubleheader at Mariners Centre in Yarmouth. Here are his three stars from Tuesday's action:

Anthony Louis and Sean Malone each had a goal and one assist Tuesday when the U.S. Under-18 Team scored a 3-1 victory over Finland in the opener for both teams at the 2012 U-18 Four Nations Tournament at the Ann Arbor Ice Cube in Michigan.

Malone, who earned a C rating on NHL Central Scouting's preliminary players to watch list in the United States Hockey League, scored 17:02 into the second to give the United States a 2-1 lead. Tyler Kelleher had given the U.S. team a 1-0 lead 7:43 into the first, when the hosts outshot the Finns, 22-6.

After a slow start offensively, the U.S. opened things up in the second period en route to a 4-3 defeat of Switzerland on Tuesday, the second day of the World Junior A Challenge, being played at Mariners Center in Yarmouth, N.S.

The U.S. trailed 1-0 after one period, but scored four goals in the second, including three in the first 5:39 of the period, to blow the game open and earn a spot in the tournament semifinals Friday. The U.S. won Group B with a 2-0 record that includes Monday's 9-1 defeat of Canada East.