Sochi, Russia (SportsNetwork.com) - Germany picked up its first win of the women's hockey tournament at the Sochi Games, beating Japan 4-0 in Thursday's tilt at Shayba Arena.
The Germans finished play in the bottom-tier Group B with a 1-2 record, while Japan fell to 0-3. Both countries were eliminated from medal contention after starting the tournament 0-2.
Franziska Busch scored twice on Thursday for Germany and Viona Harrer made 30 saves for the shutout. Nana Fujimoto stopped 21-of-24 shots for Japan.
Russia and Sweden both have 2-0 records in Group B and will play Thursday to determine the group's top seed. The winner will face Switzerland in the quarterfinals, while the loser gets Finland. The Swiss went 0-3 in the superior grouping after losing in overtime to the Finns on Wednesday.
Canada and the United States finished first and second, respectively, in the top-tier Group A to earn byes to the semifinals. The Canadians posted a 3-2 victory over the U.S. on Wednesday in what could be a preview of the gold medal game in Sochi.
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