RUSSIANS HOLD OFF FINNS, KEEP SEMIFINAL HOPES ALIVE WITH WIN

VICTORIAVILLE, Que. – Yevgeni Svechnikov scored twice and added an assist as Russia stayed alive in the race for a semifinal spot at the 2013 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge with a 5-4 win over Finland on Wednesday afternoon.

The Russians will have to wait for the result of Wednesday night’s West-Pacific game to find out if it will be a final four team; a Pacific win in regulation time clinches second place for the Canadians, while a West victory or an overtime game gives the second semifinal berth in Group B to the Russians. The loss eliminates the Finns from semifinal contention. 

Maxim Lazarev, Nikita Yazkov and Kirill Pilipenko had the other goals for Russia, which alternated wins and losses in its preliminary round games. 

Lazarev and Yazkov had a goal and an assist each.

Atte Mäkinen, Joel Kiviranta, Aleksi Saarela and Kasperi Kapanen scored for Finland, which will once again be on the outside looking in at the semifinals; the Finns have not played in the medal round since winning silver in 1995.

Kiviranta, Kapanen and Saarela all finished with a goal and an assist.

One night after erasing a three-goal third-period deficit in an eventual shootout loss to Pacific the Finns almost did it again – Saarela and Kapanen scored 29 seconds apart midway through the final frame to make it a 5-4 game.

Maxim Tretiak, the grandson of legendary Soviet netminder Vladislav Tretiak, got the start in the Russian goal and made 20 saves, while Kaapo Kähkönen turned aside 22 shots for the Finns.

Finland will take on Atlantic in Drummondville in Thursday’s seventh-place game (1:30 p.m. ET).