Belarus beat the United States for the first time 5-2 at the ice hockey world championship on May 7.
In the eastern Czech city of Ostrava, Artur Gavrus, Artyom Volkov, and Alyaksandr Kitarov scored from breaks within five minutes of the second period to hand Belarus a 3-0 lead, which the U.S. team was unable to surmount.
The other favorites in the games didn't suffer similar stumbles. Finland blanked Slovenia 4-0, Sweden beat Germany 4-3, and the host Czech Republic was a 5-1 winner against France.
Following five losses to the Americans, Belarus's milestone win in Ostrava was its third in the group stage, and a major step toward advancing to the quarterfinals for the second straight year.
Belarus tops Group B after four games with 10 points, one ahead of the United States, Russia, and Finland.
The top four teams in each of the two groups of eight will advance to the quarterfinals.
