Team Russia have prevailed over the Czech Republic in the quarterfinal thriller at the Under-20 World Ice Hockey Championships in Canada to settle an encounter with the hosts in the last four rounds.

The reigning champions dominated the first period though failed to convert several good opportunities to score.They were punished for the waste early in the second period after Jakub Culek found himself unmarked inches from the goal and sent the puck into the Russians’ net.

Lokomotiv Yaroslavl young star Daniil Apalkov soon leveled things on the ice after a perfect wrist shot from a respectful distance.

The regulation didn’t find the winner as the teams continued to jab each other in overtime. The Russians were a bit luckier towards the end, with Grigory Zheldakov scoring the winner 90 seconds into the final period, to ensure the crowd sees another battle against the Red Machine.

“Our main motivation is to continue Russians’ holiday mood,” the team’s captain Evgeny Kuznetsov explained, referring to the team’s strategy for the upcoming semifinal.

“I like when the home crowd cheer against you. This will give us some additional motivation tomorrow. And I remember last year’s final, when the Canadian fans started to leave the stands a minute before the end of the game,” he added.

In the other quarterfinal, Finland beat Slovakia 8-5 and advanced to face Sweden in one of two semifinal games on Tuesday.