SOCHI, Russia (AP) - Galina Skiba scored twice, including the tie-breaking goal in the second period, to help Russia beat Japan 6-3 on Sunday and earn a spot in the Olympic women’s hockey fifth-place game.
Anna Shokhina and Tatyana Burina each had a goal and two assists for Russia, which will play Finland.
Anna Prugova made 24 saves for the hosts, who were hoping for their first medal in women’s hockey. The team swept through the lower bracket in the round-robin but was beaten by Switzerland in the quarterfinals.
Nana Fujimoto made 26 saves for Japan, which will play Germany for seventh place in its last chance in Sochi to win its first Olympic game. Japan had not qualified for the Olympics since receiving a berth into the Nagano Games as the host nation.
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