World juniors: Underdogs, historic hockey rivals to battle in semifinals

VANCOUVER— A pair of upsets has created a battle of the underdogs in the semifinal round of this year’s world junior hockey championship.

Switzerland and Finland are still in medal contention after posting surprising wins over last year’s champion and runner-up. The U.S. and Russia also advanced, though their victories were less shocking. Here’s a look at what to expect:

SWITZERLAND (2-0-1-2) VS. FINLAND (2-1-0-2)

Both teams punched their tickets to the playoffs with stunning victories over junior hockey powerhouses on Wednesday.

Switzerland blanked Sweden 2-0 and Finland squeaked out a 2-1 overtime win against Canada. But neither team thinks it will be easy to get to the gold medal game.

“What I’ve seen so far, we’ll have a tough opponent against us,” Finnish coach Jussi Ahokas said Thursday.

The Finns have a lot of skill, including a trio of NHL players and 17-year-old Kaapo Kakko, who’s expected to go high in this year’s draft.

Controlling the puck and getting those guys to the front of the net will be key to beating the Swiss, Ahokas said. “We have to know when we have to act fast and when we have to control it. But the biggest thing is that we have to get the net-front guys more involved, get some tips in,” he said. “And of course we have to drive to the net even harder.”

RUSSIA (5-0-0-0) VS. U.S. (4-0-1-0)

Old rivalries run deep with these two teams.

U.S. coach Mike Hastings said Thursday that he’s “pretty old” so he knows a lot about what’s happened between the two squads.

“There’s a lot of history that goes in my mind,” he said, pointing out the “Miracle on Ice” at the 1980 Olympics in Lake Placid.

Both teams are coming into the semifinals confident after posting wins in the quarterfinals. The U.S. beat the Czechs 3-1 while Russia trounced Slovakia 8-3. Hastings said they will have to play “a full 60 minutes” against Russia.

“The one thing they can do is they can stress you in many different ways.”