US scores 5 goals in middle period to rout Kazakhstan and advance at ice hockey worlds

HERNING, Denmark (AP) — After a goalless opening period, the United States proceeded to secure its place in the quarterfinals of the ice hockey world championship with a 6-1 rout of Kazakhstan on Sunday.

The Americans are tied with the Czech Republic on 14 points in Group B, trailing leader Switzerland on 16. The U.S. completes its group stage on Tuesday against the Czechs, who have two more games to play.

“I thought we were ready to play out of the gate,” U.S. head coach Ryan Warsofsky said. "We need to continue to build and get ready for what will be a big challenge on Tuesday against the Czechs.”

Despite an unproductive first period in Herning, the U.S. jumped to a commanding five-goal lead in the second.

Frank Nazar broke the deadlock 6:58 into the period with a shot from the left circle above the glove of Sergei Kudryavtsev. The forward added two assists later in the game.

Defenseman Jackson Lacombe wristed a shot from the blue line through heavy traffic to double the lead with 8:14 to go in the second period.

The next two goals came in the span of 58 seconds.

Forward Tage Thompson scored his fifth at the tournament — after receiving a pass from defenseman Zeev Buium — to make it 3-0 with 6:00 left. Matty Beniers increased the advantage to four from the left circle before Michael Kesselring scored with a high shot from a tight angle from the boards 56 seconds before the end of the period.

U.S. defensive star Zach Werenski skated toward the goal before beating backup goalie Maxim Pavlenko who came on at the beginning of the final period.

Goaltender Jeremy Swayman made 16 saves for the U.S.

Switzerland demolished Hungary 10-0 and will play its last Group B game against Kazakhstan on Tuesday.

In Stockholm, a 5-1 victory over Slovakia lifted Latvia to fourth place in Group A.

Also in Stockholm, Austria beat Slovenia 3-2 in a shootout to keep alive its hopes of reaching the quarterfinals for the first time. Austria is tied in fifth with Slovakia in Group A.

The top four teams from each group will advance.

AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports

Switzerland's forward Timo Meier, center, celebrates his goal with his teammates Dean Kukan, left and Kevin Fiala, center right after scoring, during the IIHF 2025 World Championship preliminary round group B game between Hungary and Switzerland, at the Jyske Bank Boxen, in Herning, Denmark, Sunday, May 18, 2025. (Salvatore Di Nolfi/Keystone via AP)

Austria's Marco Kasper, center, in action during the IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship group A match between Slovenia and Austria at Avicii Arena, in Stockholm, Sweden, Sunday, May 18, 2025. (Anders Wiklund/TT News Agency via AP)

Ryan Warsofsky, head coach of USA national ice hockey team looks on, during the IIHF 2025 World Championship preliminary round group B game between Kazakhstan and USA, at the Jyske Bank Boxen, in Herning, Denmark, Sunday, May 18, 2025. (Salvatore Di Nolfi/Keystone via AP)

Kazakhstan's defender Tamirlan Gaitamirov, left, vies for the puck with USA's forward Tage Thompson, during the IIHF 2025 World Championship preliminary round group B game between Kazakhstan and USA, at the Jyske Bank Boxen, in Herning, Denmark, Sunday, May 18, 2025. (Salvatore Di Nolfi/Keystone via AP)

Kazakhstan's defender Adil Beketayev, left, vies for the puck with USA's forward Logan Cooley, right, during the IIHF 2025 World Championship preliminary round group B game between Kazakhstan and USA, at the Jyske Bank Boxen, in Herning, Denmark, Sunday, May 18, 2025. (Salvatore Di Nolfi/Keystone via AP)

USA's Tage Thompson, 2nd left, celebrates his goal with teammates, Jackson Lacombe, left, Zeev Buium, 2nd right, and Matty Beniers, right, during the IIHF 2025 World Championship preliminary round group B game between Kazakhstan and USA, at the Jyske Bank Boxen, in Herning, Denmark, Sunday, May 18, 2025. (Salvatore Di Nolfi/Keystone via AP)

HOUSTON (AP) — Now more than halfway to the moon, the Artemis II astronauts prepared for their historic lunar fly-around to push deeper into space than even the Apollo astronauts.

On the downside, their toilet is on the blink again.

The three Americans and one Canadian are set to reach their destination Monday, photographing the mysterious lunar far side as they zoom around. It is the first moon-bound crew in more than 53 years, picking up where NASA’s Apollo program left off.

“The Earth is quite small, and the moon is definitely getting bigger,” pilot Victor Glover reported.

Until the Orion capsule's bathroom is fixed, Mission Control has instructed the astronauts to break out more of the backup urine collection bags. The so-called lunar loo malfunctioned following Wednesday’s liftoff and has been hit-and-miss ever since. A version of the Artemis II toilet was tested on the International Space Station several years ago.

Engineers suspect ice may be blocking the line that is preventing urine from completely flushing overboard. The toilet is still open for No. 2 business.

Debbie Korth, NASA’s Orion program deputy manager, said the astronauts have also reported a smell coming from the bathroom, which is buried in the floor of the capsule with a door and curtain for privacy.

“Space toilets and bathrooms are something everybody can understand .. it’s always a challenge,” she said, noting that the space shuttle toilet was also often on the fritz.

John Honeycutt, chair of the mission management team, said it is human nature to be interested in the space commode, and even though it is “in a good state right now,” he’d like it to be working at 100%.

“They’re OK,” he said of the astronauts. “They trained to manage through the situation.”

Artemis II is poised to set a distance record for humans, traveling more than 252,000 miles (400,000 kilometers) from Earth before hanging a U-turn behind the moon and heading home without stopping or entering lunar orbit. The record is currently held by Apollo 13.

The Canadian Space Agency celebrated the country’s role in the mission, speaking from Quebec with astronaut Jeremy Hansen as he headed toward his lunar rendezvous. Hansen is the first non-U.S. citizen to fly to the moon.

“Today he is making history for Canada,” Canadian Space Agency President Lisa Campbell said. “As we watch him taking this bold step into the unknown, let his journey remind us that Canada’s future is written by those who dare to reach for more.”

In the live televised linkup, Hansen said he has already witnessed “extraordinary” views from NASA's Orion capsule.

Hansen, Glover, Reid Wiseman and Christina Koch are the world's first lunar astronauts since Apollo 17's crew of three in 1972. Koch and Glover are the first female and first Black astronauts to the moon, respectively.

Their nearly 10-day mission — ending with a Pacific splashdown on April 10 — is the first step in NASA's bold plans for a sustainable moon base. The space agency is aiming for a landing by two astronauts near the lunar south pole in 2028.

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

In this undated photo provided by NASA on Saturday, April 4, 20206, Commander Reid Wiseman looks at the Earth from a window aboard the Orion spacecraft Integrity during the Artemis II mission en route to the moon. (NASA via AP)

This photo provided by NASA shows the moon seen from the Orion spacecraft Integrity during the Artemis II mission on Friday, April 3, 2026. (NASA via AP)

This photo provided by NASA shows the exterior of the Orion spacecraft Integrity during the Artemis II mission en route to the moon on Friday, April 3, 2026. (NASA via AP)

In this photo provided by NASA, astronaut Christina Koch, background left, is illuminated by a screen inside the darkened Orion spacecraft Integrity on the third day of the Artemis II mission, Friday, April 3, 2026. At right, Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen looks out of one of Orion's windows. (NASA via AP)

In this image from video provided by NASA, Artemis II astronauts, from left, Reid Wiseman, Jeremy Hansen, Christina Koch and Victor Glover gather for an interview en route to the moon on Saturday, April 4, 2026. (NASA via AP)

This image provided by the Canadian Space Agency, Artemis II astronaut Jeremy Hansen of Canada, connects live from the Orion spacecraft and speaks with Canadian media along with astronauts Victor Glover, left, and Reid Wiseman on Saturday, April 4, 2026. (Canadian Space Agency via AP)

This image from video provided by NASA shows the Artemis II crew Commander Reid Wiseman, second from left, thanking the families of the crew while speaking with NASA Mission Control in a video conference while en route to the moon, Thursday, April 2, 2026, as Canadian astronaut and mission specialist Jeremy Hansen, far left, looks on and mission specialist Christina Koch and pilot Victor Glover, far right, make hearts with their hands. (NASA via AP) CORRECTION: headed to the moon, not in moon's orbit

This image from video provided by NASA shows a view of earth taken by NASA astronaut and Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman from one of the Orion spacecraft's four windows after completing the translunar injection burn, Thursday, April 2, 2026. (NASA via AP)