U.S. defeats Switzerland, 2-0, to advance to semifinals of men’s hockey

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The United States men’s hockey team defeated Switzerland, 2-0, in a hard-fought contest Wednesday to advance to the semifinals at the Vancouver Winter Olympics. The U.S. will play the winner of the Wednesday night’s Finland-Czech Republic game.

The first goal was scored on a power play by Zach Parise, with assists to Brian Rafalski and Paul Stastny, 2:08 into the third period. The second goal, again by Parise, was scored into an empty net with less than a minute to play. The U.S. outshot Switzerland 32-8 through the first two periods, but Swiss goalie Jonas Hiller made several outstanding saves to keep Switzerland tied.

It was the second meeting between the two countries in Vancouver, with the United States posting a 3-1 pool play win over the Swiss on Feb. 16.

-- Houston Mitchell in Vancouver