Switzerland advances to world junior quarterfinals with win over Kazakhstan

Simon Meier and Ludvig Johnson each had a goal and an assist as Switzerland beat Kazakhstan 3-1 and locked up a quarterfinal spot Tuesday at the world junior hockey championship in Ottawa.

Robin Antenen also scored for the Swiss, who came into the game without a point from their first three contests but moved past Kazakhstan into fourth spot in Group B.

Kirill Lyapunov scored for Kazakhstan, which entered the game with a tenuous hold on fourth in the group after picking up a point in a wild 5-4 overtime loss to Slovakia on Monday.

Switzerland will face the winner of Group A in the quarterfinals on Thursday. Canada faces the defending-champion United States later Tuesday with first place in Group A on the line.

Kazakhstan faces Germany in the relegation game, with the loser demoted to the Division I Group A tournament for 2026.

In other games Tuesday, Finland faced Latvia, Sweden took on the Czech Republic.