Helsinki, Finland (My Sportsbook) - Kelly Fairchild registered a hat trick as the United States cruised to an 8-1 triumph over Japan in the World Hockey Championships on Monday. Craig Johnson of the Los Angeles Kings posted a pair of goals in the relegation-round finale for the United States. Peter Ferraro of the AHL's Portland Pirates, Brad DeFauw of the Carolina Hurricanes and Marty Reasoner of the Edmonton Oilers also scored in the win. Tetsuya Saito provided the lone goal for Japan. Denmark defeated the Americans ,5-2, in the preliminary round. The United States also lost 1-0 to Switzerland and 3-2 to Russia in the preliminary round. In the relegation round, the U.S. beat Belarus, 4-2, on Saturday to secure a spot in next year's tournament. A loss would have excluded the Americans from next year's championships, the qualifying tournament for the 2006 Olympics. Meanwhile, Belarus edged Slovenia, 4-3, to finish second in the relegation group. Slovenia was third and Japan fourth. The last three teams drop to Division I play next year. |
