2013 world junior hockey championships
A week ago, the Americans were being left for dead in the tournament. They had just endured a 2-1 loss to Russia and were about to experience an identical result against Canada. As they prepared for their defining group stage match with Slovakia, many questioned whether the Americans might be headed to the relegation round for a second straight year.
The Bronze Medal match will feature two teams frustrated by their fortunes in the semi-finals.
Finland and Slovakia face off Friday morning for a chance to claim the top spot in the relegation group.
The fifth place game does not earn any team a medal, but this match is certainly meaningful for the two squads participating.
Germany and Latvia head into Friday's match as the worst two teams in the tournament and their relegation round contest will determine which team remains in the top division at the 2014 World Juniors tournament.
Can Russia win the World Juniors at home? "Yes" was the resounding answer most would give to this question before the tournament started.
Slovakia will attempt to secure a spot in next year's World Juniors as they take on Latvia in the first of two relegation round matches.
Last Sunday, the Canadians took down the United States 2-1 and put them on the brink of elimination from the knockout round. Four days later, the two squads meet again in the semi-finals with an opportunity to take home the top prize in the competition.
Finland was expected to compete for a medal at this year's 2013 World Junior Championships, but the team imploded after a dominating start against Latvia.
The Russians have not lived up to the expectations created for them prior to this tournament. With a star-studded roster that included the likes of Nail Yakupov and Mikhail Grigorenko, many though the home team would win Group A and assure themselves a spot in the final with facility. That no longer looks the case as Russia must now play in the quarter finals against a surprising Switzerland side.
The United States needed a huge game in their bout against Slovakia and that is exactly what they got.
The final match of the group stage in the World Junior Championships is also the most anticipated. Russia and Canada have become intense competitors over the years as the top two hockey nations in the world and their match on Monday morning will determine which team gets a bye in the quarter finals and an extra day of rest before the semi-finals.
When the schedule showed that Sweden and Finland would face off in the final match of Group A at the World Juniors, the expectation was that the game would decide the group winner. However, that has not turned out to be the case with one side underachieving in what has been a surprising group stage.
A year ago, the United States had an opportunity to advanced to the quarter finals on the final day of the group stage. Instead, they crumbled against Canada in the opening period and wound up in the relegation group and their worst position in the World Juniors since 1999. The Americans now face the same scenario after a pair of unfortunate losses.
Switzerland and Czech Republic both control their own destiny when they face off on Monday morning.
