<p>The semi-finals are all but set about the Day 2 results. The day lacked the same competitiveness it did on Day 1, after all, but one game, Canada vs Switzerland, was decided by a goal. Today wasn&#8217;t close to that, with the average win differential being 5.25 goals.</p>
<p>With the high-scoring games came a few large point totals, with one player passing a former Edmonton Oiler to become the tournament&#8217;s all-time leading goalscorer. It also became a day to forget for one team that is averaging 11 goals against per game.</p>
<h2>DAY 2 RESULTS&#8230;</h2>
<p><strong>Game 5: Germany 3 Czechia 7 </strong></p>
<p>Czechia had no problem dismantling Germany to start the day. <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/news/czechia-forward-adam-benak-breaks-hlinka-gretzky-cup-scoring-record" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Adam Benak</a> took charge, scoring a hat trick and picking up a couple of assists in the 7-2 win. Germany showed signs of life late in the second period when Dustin Willhoft pulled his team within two; however, it didn&#8217;t take long for Czechia to restore their dominant lead. With the win, Czechia secured a spot in the semi-final on Friday.</p>
<p><strong>Game 6: Finland 1 USA 3</strong></p>
<p>The matchup between Finland and the United States wasn&#8217;t as great as you may think. The Finns brought one of their worst teams ever, and the United States brought essentially their &#8220;B&#8221; team. For large portions of the game, it was a dump-and-chase battle, with neither team showing signs of a desire to win. The US did eventually come away victorious, with goals from Chase Jette, Ben Kevan, and Matthew Lansing.</p>
<p><strong>Game 7: Switzerland 1 Sweden 12</strong></p>
<p>The lone game in the Downtown Community Arena wasn&#8217;t even close. Team Sweden averaged a goal a period in a dominant 12-1 victory over Switzerland. Iver Stenberg, brother of St Louis Blues first-round pick Otto, was fantastic, scoring four goals and grabbing three assists. Lucien Lehmann scored the Swiss lone goal, their first of the tournament, but it was too late at that point.</p>
<p><strong>Game 8: Canada 5 Slovakia 1</strong></p>
<p>Canada took advantage of some early power plays. Cameron Schmidt snapped home his first two goals of the tournament in the first period, followed by a 3-0 goal from Liam Kilfoil. Slovakia caught a lucky break to make it 3-1 but showed life after that. A solid finish to the second period set the table for a competitive third period. The Slovaks had their chance to get back in the game, but then the stars showed up for Canada and it showed on the scoreboard. Matthew Schaefer found Gavin McKenna, who connected with Émile Guité to add another insurance goal. There&#8217;s no doubt that Canada vs Slovakia was the most competitive game of the day.</p>
<h2 class="sc-gXmSlM ymZom"><strong>OTHER THINGS WORTH MENTIONING…</strong></h2>
<ul>
<li>Adam Benák became the Hlinka-Gretzky Cup&#8217;s all-time leading point score, passing former Edmonton Oiler
<div class="QpPSMb">
<div class="DoxwDb">
<div class="PZPZlf ssJ7i B5dxMb" role="heading" data-attrid="title">Magnus Pääjärvi.</div>
</div>
</div>
</li>
<li>Sweden, Canada, and Czechia all secured their spots in the semi-finals. Czechia also locked in first in Group B after their win over Germany earlier today. Whoever wins tomorrow&#8217;s game between Sweden and Canada will be crowned the winners of Group A.</li>
<li>Finland, Slovakia, and Switzerland are officially out of medal contention. This will be the first time since 2018, the last time the tournament was in Edmonton, that Finland won&#8217;t compete in the medal round.</li>
<li>Team Canada forward Braeden Cootes was ejected for spearing late in the third period, which could result in a possible suspension, forcing him to miss their final round-robin game.</li>
</ul>
<h2 class="sc-gXmSlM ymZom"><strong>UP NEXT…</strong></h2>
<p>Czechia and Finland start the day tomorrow at noon, with only pride on the line for the Finns. The most important game comes after them when the USA and Germany hit the ice and battle for second in Group B—whoever wins advances to the semi-final to face the winner of Group A. Switzerland, and Slovakia face off in the Downtown Community Arena but the main event comes at 7:30 p.m. when Canada faces Sweden in a potential gold medal matchup.</p>
<h2><strong>ARTICLE PRESENTED BY SPRING FINANCIAL</strong></h2>
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The semi-finals are all but set about the Day 2 results. The day lacked the same competitiveness it did on Day 1, after all, but one game, Canada vs Switzerland, was decided by a goal. Today wasn't close to that, with the average win differential being 5.25 goals.

With the high-scoring games came a few large point totals, with one player passing a former Edmonton Oiler to become the tournament's all-time leading goalscorer. It also became a day to forget for one team that is averaging 11 goals against per game.
<h2>DAY 2 RESULTS...</h2>
<strong>Game 5: Germany 3 Czechia 7 </strong>

Czechia had no problem dismantling Germany to start the day. <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/news/czechia-forward-adam-benak-breaks-hlinka-gretzky-cup-scoring-record" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Adam Benak</a> took charge, scoring a hat trick and picking up a couple of assists in the 7-2 win. Germany showed signs of life late in the second period when Dustin Willhoft pulled his team within two; however, it didn't take long for Czechia to restore their dominant lead. With the win, Czechia secured a spot in the semi-final on Friday.

<strong>Game 6: Finland 1 USA 3</strong>

The matchup between Finland and the United States wasn't as great as you may think. The Finns brought one of their worst teams ever, and the United States brought essentially their "B" team. For large portions of the game, it was a dump-and-chase battle, with neither team showing signs of a desire to win. The US did eventually come away victorious, with goals from Chase Jette, Ben Kevan, and Matthew Lansing.

<strong>Game 7: Switzerland 1 Sweden 12</strong>

The lone game in the Downtown Community Arena wasn't even close. Team Sweden averaged a goal a period in a dominant 12-1 victory over Switzerland. Iver Stenberg, brother of St Louis Blues first-round pick Otto, was fantastic, scoring four goals and grabbing three assists. Lucien Lehmann scored the Swiss lone goal, their first of the tournament, but it was too late at that point.

<strong>Game 8: Canada 5 Slovakia 1</strong>

Canada took advantage of some early power plays. Cameron Schmidt snapped home his first two goals of the tournament in the first period, followed by a 3-0 goal from Liam Kilfoil. Slovakia caught a lucky break to make it 3-1 but showed life after that. A solid finish to the second period set the table for a competitive third period. The Slovaks had their chance to get back in the game, but then the stars showed up for Canada and it showed on the scoreboard. Matthew Schaefer found Gavin McKenna, who connected with Émile Guité to add another insurance goal. There's no doubt that Canada vs Slovakia was the most competitive game of the day.
<h2 class="sc-gXmSlM ymZom"><strong>OTHER THINGS WORTH MENTIONING…</strong></h2>
<ul>
 	<li>Adam Benák became the Hlinka-Gretzky Cup's all-time leading point score, passing former Edmonton Oiler
<div class="QpPSMb">
<div class="DoxwDb">
<div class="PZPZlf ssJ7i B5dxMb" role="heading" data-attrid="title">Magnus Pääjärvi.</div>
</div>
</div></li>
 	<li>Sweden, Canada, and Czechia all secured their spots in the semi-finals. Czechia also locked in first in Group B after their win over Germany earlier today. Whoever wins tomorrow's game between Sweden and Canada will be crowned the winners of Group A.</li>
 	<li>Finland, Slovakia, and Switzerland are officially out of medal contention. This will be the first time since 2018, the last time the tournament was in Edmonton, that Finland won't compete in the medal round.</li>
 	<li>Team Canada forward Braeden Cootes was ejected for spearing late in the third period, which could result in a possible suspension, forcing him to miss their final round-robin game.</li>
</ul>
<h2 class="sc-gXmSlM ymZom"><strong>UP NEXT…</strong></h2>
Czechia and Finland start the day tomorrow at noon, with only pride on the line for the Finns. The most important game comes after them when the USA and Germany hit the ice and battle for second in Group B—whoever wins advances to the semi-final to face the winner of Group A. Switzerland, and Slovakia face off in the Downtown Community Arena but the main event comes at 7:30 p.m. when Canada faces Sweden in a potential gold medal matchup.
<h2><strong>ARTICLE PRESENTED BY SPRING FINANCIAL</strong></h2>
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News and Notes from Day 2 of the Hlinka Gretzky Cup

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