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CANADA 5, RUSSIA 4 (OT)
Buffalo Sabres centre Ryan O'Reilly notched the overtime winner, deflecting a pass from Oilers Captain Connor McDavid to defeat Russia by a score of 5-4 on Thursday.
McDavid tallied three helpers while Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored a power-play goal in the second period and was named Canada's Player of the Game.
McDavid now sits third in tournament scoring with five goals and 11 assists in eight games. Nugent-Hopkins has five goals and three assists himself, as he continues to flank McDavid on the left side.
The quarter-final face-off was a back-and-forth, roller-coaster affair, with the two squads trading goals from the second period on.
Canada gained a two-goal lead from strikes by Colton Parayko and Nugent-Hopkins but Russia responded by tying the game before the end of the second.
Deadlocked at 2-2 to enter the third, four more goals were scored in the final 20 minutes - as Canada continued gaining the lead but failing to maintain it.
Kyle Turris' go-ahead goal was answered by Sergei Andronov, then Pierre-Luc Dubois' hard-earned tally was negated by Artem Anisimov, forcing the 10-minute overtime period.
In OT, Kirill Kaprizov was sent to the box, giving Canada - who already had a pair of power-play goals in the game - to the man-advantage. From his office along the right half-wall, McDavid moved in then sifted the puck under a Russian twig for O'Reilly to deflect it home.
USA 3, CZECH REPUBLIC 2
Chicago Blackhawks star Patrick Kane scored twice, including the game-winner, and Derek Ryan notched a pair of assists on both goals to push Team USA past the Czech Republic by a score of 3-2.
Kane now has eight goals and 19 points to lead the tournament in scoring.
Columbus Blue Jackets forward Cam Atkinson scored Team USA's second goal, while Calgary Flames forward Johnny Gaudreau and Nashville Predators centre Nick Bonino each registered an assist.
Michal Repik and Carolina Hurricanes prospect Martin Necas scored for the Czech Republic.
New Jersey Devils netminder Keith Kinkaid made 15 saves in the winning effort.
SWEDEN 3, LATVIA 2
Oilers defender Adam Larsson and his Swedish teammates will play Team USA in the semifinals after edging Latvia 3-2 Thursday in their quarter-final game.
Larsson was held off the scoresheet but continued playing as one of Sweden's many stalwart defencemen. The Oilers rearguard manned the blueline alongside Arizona Coyotes D-man Oliver Ekman-Larsson, complementing his offensive teammate by playing more of a shutdown role.
Larsson saw heavy minutes on the penalty kill, navigating the ice for an extended period during a Latvian 5-on-3 power play, which they failed to convert on.
Swedish goal scorers included Filip Forsberg, Viktor Arvidsson and Ekman-Larsson. Latvia's Teodors Blugers and Rudolf Balcers also found the back of the net.
Sweden and USA will face off at 7:15 AM MT on Saturday.
SWITZERLAND 3, FINLAND 2
Upset alert.
Switzerland defeated Finland 3-2 in their quarter-final matchup, paving the way for Canada to meet the underdog Swiss club in Saturday's semifinals.
After Columbus Blue Jackets defenceman Markus Nutivaara opened the scoring for Finland in the first, Switzerland stunned their opposition with three goals in the span of four minutes in the middle frame, getting markers from Enzo Corvi, Joel Vermin and Gregory Hofmann.
Finland's Mikko Rantanen tallied in the third to get his club within one but they couldn't convert the equalizer.
Saturday's second semifinal match will get under way at 11:15 AM MT.
