Finland, whose only defeat so far came in overtime in their second match against Kazakhstan, maintained their winning momentum with a hard-fought 2-1 win against Germany at the Arena Riga.

Anton Lundell put them 1-0 up in the first period, but Korbinian Holzer equalised at the start of the second period before Arttu Ruotsalainen got the winner with less than nine minutes left. 

Finland now lead Group B with 13 points from five games, one ahead of the sixth-seeded United States, who earned a 2-1 win over Norway in the afternoon Group B game.

Also looking odds-on for quarter-final action on June 3 are Slovakia, who moved into the Group A lead with 12 points from five games after a 2-0 win over Denmark at the Olympic Sports Centre thanks to third period goals from Peter Cehlarik and Adam Janosik.

They lead the ROC team, who also have 12 points after their 4-1 win over Switzerland, who now occupy third place with the Czech Republic currently holding the fourth and final qualifying spot thanks to their earlier 6-1 win over Britain.

Kazakhstan revived their chances of a qualifying place in Group B with an 11-3 win over Italy at the Arena Riga that has established them in third place behind Finland and the United States on 10 points with two group matches remaining.