Swiss Nudge Belarus in Important Early Game in Buffalo

Belarus will be in a fight for their tournament life after dropping a 3-2 loss to Switzerland on Wednesday afternoon.

This was Belarus' biggest game of the tournament, as, in reality, it was their best chance to stay alive and possibly avoid the relegation round. Unfortunately, at 8:07, Nicolas Muller, one of Switzerland's most underrated players, made it 1-0 when the puck bounced off multiple players in front of the net, with Muller touching it last before it squeaked through Andrei Grishenko's legs and in.

Belarus, however, wouldn't leave the first period empty-handed. At 18:34, after Vladislav Garbus and Vladislav Martynyuk both touched the puck, Maxim Sushko waited before tapping in the loose disk past Philip Wuthrich, giving Belarus their first goal of the game and a chance heading into the later stages of the contest.

The Swiss couldn't force Belarus to take a penalty, and all of a sudden they found themselves trailing in the third. Just seconds into a Belarus power play, Sushko, a Philadelphia Flyers prospect, outwaits a Swiss shot-blocker before getting a wrister to the net, with Viktor Bovbel picking up the rebound to make it 2-1 for the newly-promoted team.

At 48:12, the Swiss tied it up after a great offensive effort. Sven Leuenberger held the puck long enough before finding Valentin Nussbaumer sneaking into the zone all alone. With more than enough room, Nussbaumer slowed down and made a quick little deke, sending it over Wuthrich before tying the battle up at two apiece.

At 51:16, the Swiss scored again to take the lead back, something they'd never relinquish. Philipp Kurashev, a 2018 NHL Draft prospect, would wire a hard slap shot past Grischenko after taking a feed from Guillaume Maillard, giving the Swiss their second lead of the contest. It was enough to secure the win, taking their opening game 3-2 over Belarus on Wednesday.

With the win, the Swiss stay perfect against Switzerland in U20 hockey action, which includes a pair of victories at the 2016 World Juniors, the last tournament Belarus played in. Belarus will need to find a way to grab four points before the end of the tournament if they hope to stay alive, with their next meeting being a 12:00 PM start against Russia on Friday. Switzerland won't get much time to celebrate their win as the squad will face Russia tomorrow, a 2:00 PM battle at HarborCenter.

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Photo from Anders Marshall/Euro Hockey