Forwards Mikko Rantanen and Joel Armia took charge of Finland’s attack with three and two points respectively in a convincing 7-1 win against Hungary in Friday’s World Cup match in Tampere. the IIHF.
Rantanen finished the duel with three assists, while Armia scored one goal and one assist. Kappo Kakko and Kasperi Kapanen also have their names blacked out in the top scorer list.
Also read: IIHF World Championship: a no-brainer for Jacob de la Rose and the Swedes
Finland goalkeeper Jussi Olkinuora had a relatively quiet day at work, conceding a meager 13 shots. On the contrary, his opponent Bence Balizs was bombed with 44 pucks. The crowd favorite secured his third win in five games since the tournament began. In contrast, the Hungarians have avoided their five meetings so far.
Finland will return to action against Austria on Saturday.
Latvia wins
In Riga, Latvia delighted fans with a second win of the competition, beating Slovenia 3-2.
Latvia took the lead midway through the first period when Andris Dzerins spotted teammate Rihards Bukarts completing the game with ease. Kaspar Daugavins and Robert Bukarts also scored the goals for fourth-placed Latvia in Group B with eight points.
Anze Kuralt and Miha Verlic were the losers’ only two goalscorers, aiming for the first point in the standings after five consecutive defeats.
Germany takes on Austria
In a Group A game, San Jose Sharks forward Nico Sturm scored twice to give Germany their second win of the preliminary round.
The Germans defeated Austria 4-2.
Austria still hopes for the first win in this tournament. Bernd Wolf and Lukas Haudum were their goal scorers in the game of the day.
Parker Tuomie and Wojciech Stachowiak completed the classification in the winner’s camp.
Kazakhstan surprises
Kazakhstan surprised bookmakers on Friday by winning the first game of the tournament. He celebrated a 4-3 penalty shoot-out win over Slovakia in Riga.
Forward Nikita Mikhailis scored the game-winning goal in the shootout.
The Kazakhs can say a big thank you to their goalkeeper Andrey Shutov, who saved 48 of the 51 pucks aimed at him.