Halifax Mooseheads centre Nico Hischier earned one of Switzerland's five markers in their win over Denmark on Friday, sending the Danes to the relegation round.  ( Halifax Mooseheads image)

 Halifax Mooseheads imageOne of the most exciting games of the 2017 IIHF U20 Championship to date was the Friday night matchup between Switzerland and Denmark.

It was really special if you are a Swiss fan because they downed Denmark in a dramatic 5-4 shootout win.

Forward Marco Miranda was the hero for Switzerland scoring the only goal in the shootout.

It was a heartbreaking loss for Denmark who owned leads of 3-0 and 4-1 before the Swiss started their comeback and tied the game early in the third period.

During regulation, Yannick Zehnder scored twice for Switzerland and Nico Hischier and Nando Eggenberger added singles. Jonas Siegenthaler had two assists.

Speaking of Hischier, the Swiss forward is making headlines this season as a member of the QMJHL’s Halifax Mooseheads.

He leads the Q in rookie scoring 23-25-48 points after 31 games and has been named to play in the 2017 NHL/CHL Prospects Game which is scheduled for January 30 in Quebec City.

After three WJC games, the 6’0, 175 lb. centre has collected 2-3-5 points and occupies tenth place in tournament scoring.

International Scouting Services has Hischier ranked No. 8 for the 2017 NHL Draft with his stock on the rise after his performance at the World Juniors.

The victory by Switzerland is bad news for Finland, the defending gold medal winners.

The Finns are now forced into the relegation round after going winless in their first three games. 

This marks the first time in event history that a gold medalist has returned to play in the relegation round the next year. 

Denmark captain Alexander True (Seattle Thunderbirds) had a goal and an assist as Player of the Game while Joachim Blichfeld (Portland Winterhawks) scored once for the Danes. 

Mathias From and Niklas Andersen added singles. Oliver Gatz had two assists.

Despite the loss, Denmark will finish in the final eight for the third straight year after completing the preliminary round with a 1-1-1-1 record and six points.

Switzerland (0-2-0-1, 4 pts.) has one more round-robin game against Finland on New Year's Eve and will be looking to edge out Denmark for second place in Group A.

Swiss captain Calvin Thurkauf (Kelowna Rockets) did not play against Denmark. He was serving a one-game suspension for a slew-foot on Swedish defenceman Rasmus Dahlin. Thurkauf is eligible to return for the quarterfinals.