MILAN, Feb. 15 (Xinhua) -- Latvia shocked powerhouse Germany, and Slovakia became the first team to reach men's ice hockey quarterfinals at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics on Saturday.
In a Group C match, Latvia produced one of the surprises of the Games so far with a 4-3 victory over Germany. Dans Locmelis scored twice.
"Today I was not thinking about my points or goals, I just want to be part of something big," Locmelis said.
Powered by a three-goal second period, the United States recovered from a slow start to beat Denmark 6-3.
In Group B, Sweden defeated Slovakia 5-3 in a fast-paced contest. Elias Pettersson netted twice, including a third-period strike that helped secure the win. Sweden outshot Slovakia 51-32 in a game that underlined both teams' medal ambitions.
Despite the loss, Slovakia remained encouraged after a late power-play goal helped it top Group B to advance to the quarterfinals.
Defending champion Finland delivered the most dominant performance of the day, overwhelming host Italy 11-0.
On women's side, Canada booked its place in the semifinals with a 5-1 victory over Germany. Captain Marie-Philip Poulin, returning from injury, scored her 18th career Olympic goal to tie the all-time record.
Switzerland joined Canada in the last four after edging Finland 1-0. ■
