The United States has claimed the final quarterfinal slot in the men's Olympic ice hockey tournament at the Turin Games in Italy.
The U.S. team did not have to play Tuesday to advance because Kazakhstan defeated Latvia, 5-2. The Group-B result eliminated the slim chance for Latvia to overtake the United States at the end of first round play. The Latvians needed to beat Kazakhstan and erase a huge 16-goal margin while hoping the United States would lose against Russia later in the day.
Switzerland rallied for a 3-3 tie with Italy to clinch second place in Group-A behind Finland.
All eight teams have been determined for the quarterfinal round beginning Wednesday. But results from the final games will decide how the teams are paired in the next round.
Canada and the Czech Republic are the other teams advancing from Group-A. The United States joins Slovakia, Russia and Sweden from Group-B.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP and AP.
