Swiss win at World Hockey Championship

Halifax, Nova Scotia -- Switzerland and Finland won their groups at the World Hockey Championships Wednesday and Norway rallied to earn a spot in the second round.

The first phase of the tournament ended with the Swiss and Finns joining Canada and Russia as group winners. The top three teams from each group move on to the second round, with the survivors being split into two groups and the points already earned carrying over.

The United States, which finished second to Canada in Group B, will join Canada, Latvia, Finland, Norway and Germany for the next phase. The Americans will start with six points, in third place behind Canada (9) and Finland (8). The top four teams from each of the second-round groups will advance to the quarterfinals.

Switzerland opened the day with a 4-2 victory over Sweden and Finland fought off the Slovakia 3-2. Latvia then eliminated Slovenia from the tournament 3-0 and Norway rallied from a one-goal deficit in the third period to defeat Germany 3-2.

Germany finished third in its group thanks to a tie-break edge over Slovakia, which was surprisingly eliminated.

The Americans will next play Thursday against the Germans.

Copyright 2008 by United Press International.