WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah ? Valentyn Oletsky scored two goals Monday for Ukraine, which kept alive its hopes for advancement from Olympic hockey's preliminary round with a 5-2 victory over Switzerland.
Looking completely changed from the undisciplined team that was shut out by Belarus in its first game, Ukraine (1-1-0) relentlessly hit and attacked in a victory that likely eliminated the Swiss (0-1-1), the pre-tournament favorites in Group B.
In perhaps the most physical game of the tournament, both teams played tight-checking, bad-tempered hockey, with several minor skirmishes and even a first-period fight with actual punches ? a rarity in international play.
Switzerland was thought most likely to advance from the weaker of the two preliminary round groups because of its commitment to team play, but the Swiss, who tied France in their first game, simply couldn't match Ukraine's physical play.
Ukraine got a boost with the addition of two NHL players ? St. Louis' Sergei Varlamov and Philadelphia's Ruslan Fedetenko, who played through a sprained knee he suffered on Saturday night.
Oletsky got the lead for Ukraine just 2:08 in when he put his own rebound past Colorado Avalanche backup goalie David Aebischer, who had his second straight dismal game.
Varlamov and Fedetenko skated together with Toronto minor leaguer Alex Ponikarovsky on an active line. Ponikarovsky's pass to Fedetenko late in the first period generated Ukraine's second goal.
Aebischer was pulled early in the second period after he lost sight of the puck and never saw Varlamov's weak backhand as it slid slowly over the goal line. Martin Gerber replaced Aebischer, who has allowed six goals on 31 shots in slightly more than four periods of action.
Switzerland pulled within 3-2 midway through the second when Ivo Ruthemann scored, but Vadym Shakhraychuk and Oletsky padded Ukraine's lead.
Sandy Jeannin scored Switzerland's first goal.