The first semi-final of the day saw Finland beat Switzerland 3-1 in a close contest at the Ondrej Nepela Arena.

Tensions were high from the start with both teams looking to ensure they did not get overrun in the first few minutes.

Finland did manage to have more shots on goal but were unable to break down a stubborn Switzerland defence increasingly aggressive in one-on-one situations.

Finland did eventually break through seven minutes before the end of the second period thanks to a goal from My Kippila.

This clearly gave the Finns confidence going into the third and final period as they quickly doubled their lead just minutes into it.

From that moment on, they looked to simply neutralise any Swiss attack and play on the counter.

Switzerland, however, managed to make it close at the end as they pulled a goal back to give themselves a chance in the match.

In the end, though, it was a mere consolation as Kippila’s second goal of the game ensured victory for Finland. 

World champions Sweden made much lighter work of their opponents in their semi-final as they beat the Czech Republic 7-1.

Sweden were exceptional from the first minute and put the Czechs under intense pressure, which they failed to handle, as they raced into a 4-0 lead by the end of the first period.

Alice Granstedt scored Sweden’s fifth goal early in the second period before Stephanie Boberg added a sixth. 

The Czech Republic simply did not have any way of resisting the Swedish attack and eventually resorted to damage limitation in the third period.

Despite focusing so much on their defence, the Czechs did manage to score a consolation goal through Martina Repkova.

Cornelia Fjellatedt inflicted further damage on the Czech team, though, giving Sweden a 7-1 win overall to reach the final where they will be seeking a sixth consecutive title. 

Other matches of the day saw Latvia beat Poland 5-1 and hosts Slovakia inflict a 7-4 defeat on Norway. 

Those two teams will now contest the fifth and seventh place finals, respectively.

The tournament is due to draw to a close tomorrow with the headline final between Finland and Sweden.