Jack Eichel, who scored three overtime goals for Boston University this season, capped the preliminary round at the IIHF World Championship with another OT goal and lifted the U.S. National Team to a first-place finish in Group B.

Eichel, four other current college players, and 14 NCAA alumni now lead the U.S. into the quarterfinals, where Team USA will face Switzerland Thursday at 9:15 a.m. ET (NBCSN, NBC Sports Live Extra). The semifinals are set for Saturday, with the gold- and bronze-medal games on Sunday.

Official IIHF Site

The 19 players with NCAA ties included some of the team leaders in the preliminary round. Brock Nelson (North Dakota) led the team and ranked second in the tournament with 6 goals in 7 games. Connor Hellebuyck (UMass Lowell) is 5-0 and ranked second among all tournament goaltenders with a .941 save percentage. Torey Krug (Michigan State) ranked fifth among defensemen in scoring with 5 points in 7 games.

Immediate impact

Led by Eichel, the current college players in the lineup have made a big impact. Yale goaltender Alex Lyon hasn't seen game action, but Eichel, Dylan Larkin (Michigan), Mike Reilly (Minnesota) and Jimmy Vesey (Harvard) have each played all seven games.

Sixteen NCAA schools have a player or alum on Team USA. Boston University (Eichel, Nick Bonino, Charlie Coyle) and Yale (Lyon, Mark Arcobello) are the only schools with multiple participants.

The U.S. coaching staff has strong college ties as well. Head coach Todd Richards (Minnesota) and assistant Dan Bylsma (Bowling Green) both played college hockey. Assistant coach Greg Carvel not only played at St. Lawrence but is the Saints' current head coach.

Other NCAA alums in the tournament include Belarus's Oleg Yevenko, who just finished his senior season at Massachusetts. He will face Canada, which includes Patrick Wiercioch (Denver), in the quarterfinal round.

NCAA Representatives at the IIHF World Championship