MILAN, Feb. 17 (Xinhua) -- Switzerland, Germany, the Czech Republic and Sweden secured quarterfinal berths in the men's ice hockey tournament at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics on Tuesday.
Switzerland posted a dominant 3-0 shutout of host nation Italy in front of a passionate crowd at Milano Rho Ice Hockey Arena. The Swiss outshot Italy 51-20 and scored twice on the power play. Switzerland will face Finland on Wednesday with a place in the semifinals at stake.
Switzerland, runner-up at the 2024 and 2025 IIHF World Championships, is chasing its first Olympic medal since 1948.
Germany cruised past France 5-1, fueled by a three-goal first period. Captain Leon Draisaitl opened the scoring and added two assists, logging a game-high 24:07 of ice time. Germany will take on Slovakia, the bronze medalist at Beijing 2022, in the quarterfinal.
"The tournament is getting smaller and harder each round," said Draisaitl. "We have a big task ahead of us tomorrow [against Slovakia]."
The Czech Republic edged Denmark 3-2 in a back-and-forth contest to set up a quarterfinal clash with powerhouse Canada. The two teams met in group play, where Canada won 5-0.
Sweden breezed past Latvia 5-1 and will next face the United States. ■
