HELSINKI – The Belarusian Ice Hockey Association announced that goalkeeper Andrei Mezin decided to leave the team.

Mezin shared duties in the net with Vitali Koval, who got most of the ice time. Mezin played one full game in a win against Kazakhstan when Koval was injured and was replaced in the following game against the U.S. at 9:50 of the first period after allowing two goals from eight shots. Mezin decided to leave Helsinki the morning after.

“Andrei left the national team. Obviously it’s a matter of psychology. His role with the team didn’t suit him,” head coach Kari Heikkilä was quoted on the official website of the Belarusian Ice Hockey Association.

Meanwhile the brothers Andrei and Sergei Kostitsyn of the Nashville Predators have arrived and practised with the team for the first time on Friday afternoon. They are announced to play on a line with Alexei Kalyuzhny in the crucial game against Slovakia on Saturday at 12:15.

With the addition of the two forwards the roster is full and non-registered defenceman Andrei Antonov had to leave the team.