RIGA – Kazakhstan ended its Group E campaign on a high note, scoring six unanswered goals and blanking Great Britain 6-0 to keep its qualification hopes alive.

The Kazakhs now await the result of the France-Latvia game later this afternoon that will decide if the team will earn a spot in the 2014 Winter Olympics.

A four-goal outburst in the second period broke open what had been a close game between the teams. Roman Starchenko opened the scoring for the Kazakhs thirty seconds in the first period, and following his goal five of his teammates added markers of their own to put the game out of reach by the start of the second intermission.

“We needed to score and we did it,” said Kazakhstan head coach Vladimir Krikunov. “The first two came really quickly, but it was unfortunate that we couldn’t play this way against Latvia.”

The Kazaks (2W-1L) will now be anxiously watching the France-Latvia game that will decide whether or not they will advance to the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi. Having lost their game 3-2 against Latvia, Kazakhstan will need France to defeat the Latvians in regulation time, but not by too many goals or by too high a score, or the winner of Group E will instead be the French. A 1-0, 2-1, or 3-2 win by France against Latvia will send Kazakhstan to Sochi.

As for Latvia, a single point is all the hosts need in order to qualify for their fourth straight Olympics.

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ADAM STEISS