With a 3-1 victory over Kazakhstan on Tuesday, Switzerland nabbed a quarter-final berth, finishing fourth in Group B. The winless Kazakhs will take on Germany in Thursday’s relegation showdown.
Robin Antenen scored the second-period winner. Simon Meier and Ludvig Johnson tallied a goal and an assist apiece, while Eric Schneller had two helpers. With Christian Kirsch in net, the Swiss stepped up with a two-way effort, outshooting Kazakhstan 35-12 en route to their first tournament win.
“We had good puck movement against the Kazakhs and that really helped us today,” Johnson said. “It was a big part of our power play.”
“It is what it is,” said Kazakh captain Aslan Zhussupbekov, “We just got too many penalties and…