Sweden had begun the tournament with a shock 3-2 defeat against Latvia, before bouncing back by beating Switzerland on Sunday (April 24).

Finland had hoped to seal top spot by completing their 100 per cent record in the group by winning the match at the Erdgas Schwaben Arena in Kaufbeuren, Germany.

Mattias Havelid and Tim Almgren scored first period goals, either side of an effort from Finland’s Topi Ronni to earn a 2-1 advantage.

The Swedish team seized control of the contest when Filip Bystedt and Havelid scored in the second period to establish a 4-1 advantage.

Lenni Hameenaho reduced the arrears for Finland, who closed to within one goal when Tuomas Uronen struck in the third period.

Sweden held on to secure a 4-3 victory, with the result confirming the team as Group B winners.

Finland were left settling for second place in the standings, as the top two ended the group phase with six points.

Switzerland won their final match of the group 4-3 against Latvia, with the result seeing them end third in the standings above their opponents on three points.

The teams were level after two periods of play with Eriks Mateiko, Emils Vackaktins and Davids Livsics scoring for Latvia, while Simone Terraneo, Noah Greuter and Mattheo Reinhard struck for Switzerland.

Cyril Pont scored the only goal in the third period to give Switzerland a 4-3 victory.

The United States stormed to their third successive win in Group A, with the team having scored 24 goals and conceded seven across their matches.

William Smith, Cole Smith and Rutger McGroarty all scored twice for the US team in their 10-2 victory over hosts Germany today at the Fanatec Arena in Landshut, Germany.

The result continued a high-scoring day in Group A, with the Czech Republic having beaten Canada 6-5 after overtime.

Tomas Hamara proved the hero for the Czech Republic, scoring a late equaliser in the third period before clinching the winner in overtime.

All eight teams advanced to the quarter-finals, with Belarus and Russia having been removed from the event due to the war in Ukraine.

Group A winners United States will face Latvia in the quarter-finals, with the Czech Republic set to face Switzerland.

Hosts Germany will now play Group B winners Sweden, while Canada and Finland complete the quarter-final match ties.

The tournament is set to have a rest day tomorrow, before the quarter-finals are scheduled for Thursday (April 28).