Canada beats China to make quarters at Beijing 2022 men's ice hockey

BEIJING, Feb. 15 (Xinhua) -- Canada took down China 7-2 in a men's ice hockey qualification playoff to reach the quarterfinals of the Beijing Winter Olympics here on Tuesday.

The Canadians opened the scoring at 6:57 and struck again to make it double three minutes later, before China cut the deficit to 2-1 at 15:32.

Then the red Maple Leaf continued its momentum to widen the lead to 5-1, before China scored its second goal at 38:59. Canada scored two more goals in the last five minutes to secure the victory.

"It's been a really great experience for sure. It's the first time for China to be at this stage, and it's a huge opportunity, not only for the team, but also a chance to cultivate the sport in China," head coach of China Ivano Zanatta said of the Olympic tour.

"They can grow from this, and their aspirations and the perspective are good," he added.

Elsewhere, Switzerland beat the Czech Republic 4-2 while Slovakia defeated Germany 4-0. Denmark edged past Latvia 3-2. With the wins, Switzerland, Slovakia and Denmark also advance into last eight of the event.