During the last day of the preliminary round, we were treated to particularly interesting duels since the top of the two groups was still at stake. The fourth position in Group B was also to be determined.
Canada 1 – United States 4
Due to Finland’s victory over the United States, Canada could still hope to finish at the top of Group A, despite an up-and-down journey. Unfortunately for them, Cole Hutson and Cole Eiserman had a goal and an assist each and the Americans had the upper hand in a 4-1 victory.
In this classic New Year’s Eve match, Canada started the game well, but the Americans were the first to score through Hutson on the power play. The lack of discipline literally sank Canada as the team allowed three shorthanded goals. At the start of the third period, Canada’s Bradly Nadeau finally tied the game on the power play. However, Danny Nelson and Eiserman scored again with a man advantage before Ryan Leonard added a fourth goal into an empty net. Canada therefore finished third in its group and will face the Czech Republic in the quarter-finals.
Kazakhstan 1 – Suisse 3
The objective was quite clear in this meeting between Kazakhstan and Switzerland, the winner gets his ticket to the quarter-finals while the loser is eliminated and will have to fight to avoid relegation. Forward Simon Meier scored in the second minute of play in the first period and Switzerland got the better of the Kazakhs in a 3-1 victory.
Despite a close score and an immediate response from Kazakhstan after the first Swiss goal, the Kazakhs only defended throughout the match and only got 12 shots on net. In addition to Meier, Robin Antenen and Ludvig Johnson also scored for the Swiss who secure fourth place in Group B. Kazakhstan will therefore face Germany for the relegation match.
Finland 3 – Latvia 0
The surprising Latvians tried to continue their momentum against the Finns who had just defeated the Americans. Benjamin Rautiainen quickly scored in the first period, helping the Finns beat the Latvians 3-0.
Rautiainen’s goal literally pulled the rug out from under Latvia, who were never really in the game. Forwards Jesse Kiiskinen and Konsta Helenius scored the other goals for Finland, while goalkeeper Petteri Rimpinen made 28 saves to achieve the shutout. Latvia therefore finishes in 4th place and will face the first position in Group B, Sweden. As for Finland, they finished second in group B.
Sweden 4 – Czechia 2
The first place in Group B was at stake in this duel between Sweden and the Czech Republic. Herman Traff scored twice to help the Swedes win 4-2. After an uneventful first period, Sweden got going during the second period by scoring no less than 4 goals. The only Czech answer in the second came from the stick of Petr Sikora. At the start of the third period, Édouard Sale reduced the gap with a goal on a penalty shot, but it was unfortunately too late. Félix Unger Sorum and Anton Wahlberg scored the other goals for the Swedes. Sweden wins a fourth consecutive match and finishes first in Group B.
Team rankings
Group A
| TEAM | V | VP | D | DP | POINTS | |
| 1 | UNITED STATES | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 10 |
| 2 | Finland | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 8 |
| 3 | Canada | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 7 |
| 4 | Latvia | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| 5 | Germany | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
Group B
| TEAM | V | VP | D | DP | POINTS | |
| 1 | Suede | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
| 2 | Czechia | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 9 |
| 3 | Slovakia | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 5 |
| 4 | Suisse | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| 5 | Kazakhstan | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
Quarter-finals:
- Sweden vs. Latvia – 12:00
- USA vs Switzerland – 2:30 p.m.
- Finland vs Slovakia -17:00
- Czechia vs. Canada – 7:30 p.m.
