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	TEAM LINE UPS
	EVENT SUMMARY

BUFFALO N.Y- The Canadians challenge the defending gold medalists, Team USA, for a rematch from last year in tomorrow’s semi-final game after a 4-1 win over Switzerland at HSBC Arena.

Switzerland landed on the scoreboard less than two minutes into the first period after Inti Pestoni snuck the puck between goaltender Mark Visentin’s pad and pipe.

USA & CANADA SET FOR REMATCH IN THE SEMI-FINALS ON MONDAY NIGHT

Team Canada led the first period with 23 shots on goal. Swiss goaltender Benjamin Conz was spectacular between the pipes as he made key saves against the scoring-heavy powerhouse. Conz proved to be particularly powerful when he made saves on Canadian sharp shooters Brayden Schenn and Ryan Johansen.

The Swiss defensive units were out to prove that they can handle a team like Canada. Though Canada outshot its underdog opponent, Switzerland’s defense kept a lot of potential pucks from coming near Conz.

Canada’s first goal came at 15:06 on the power play as Ryan Johansen slipped the puck past Conz’s right pad from the top of the left circle.

Both teams came back in the second to rally for dominance on the ice. The puck found its way to each end of the ice only to be picked off and sent in the opposite direction for the first ten minutes. The back-and-forth play limited Canada to just 11 shots on goal in the second period.

The evenly matched game began to crumble after the Canadians killed off their first penalty of the game, a slashing call on Carter Ashton. As the crowd grew louder, they began hurling shots at the Swiss net and breaking down the defensive lines.

Canada succeeded and broke the tie late in the second with a wrist shot from Casey Cizikas as he roofed the puck over Conz. The ravenous crowd of fans burst into a deafening celebration as the Canadians turned the game to their favor.

The Canadians carried the energy from their last goal into the third period where they held the puck captive in the Swiss zone early in the third.

Louis LeBlanc found the opportunity he needed to pull Canada farther ahead with a pass from Cody Eakin. The puck hurled past the stunned Conz as the Canadians took a 3-1 lead.

Canada's head coach Dave Cameron commented on LeBlanc's goal and said, "If you look a the makeup of our team, we have a lot of interchangable parts and LeBlanc is one of them. He's invaluable because of his versatility."

Two power play opportunities lead to a fury of shots on Conz, who turned aside 45 of 48 shots. This included a hard shot from Canadian forward Jared Cowen through a screen.

As the Canadian-dense crowd at HSBC began to chant “We want USA,” Zack Kassian scored his first goal of the tournament as he dumped the puck into an empty net, solidifying Canada’s win against Switzerland.

"They played hard for 60 minutes and they're relentless. That's a tough team to play against and they didn't stop," said Canadian Captain Ryan Ellis on Team Switzerland.

Cameron also tipped his hat to Switzerland's play, adding, "It was a game where we knew the Swiss team was going to come at us. They force you to move pucks quick. I thought they played very well."

The crowd was granted their wish with the ring of the buzzer as Canada is officially set to face Team USA in the Semi-finals tomorrow at 7:30 p.m.

On facing Team USA, Ellis added, "We're pretty excited. The Americans are going to be a huge task but we want to beat them for sure after last year. It's going to be one heck of a game."

Canada's point leader Brayden Schenn also commented on playing USA, "Obviously, they're a good team and all we can do is look forward and remember that it starts with the first goal."