The Finnish men's ice hockey team advanced to the semi-final stage of the Winter Olympics with a dramatic comeback and overtime win against Switzerland on Wednesday evening.

The Finnish team, nicknamed the Lions, looked on course for a quarter-final elimination as they trailed 2-0 to the Swiss with just six minutes remaining on the clock in the third period.

However, Sebastian Aho grabbed a goal back to give the Finnish fans some hope before Miro Heiskanen equalised with just 1 minute and 12 seconds left of play.

Finland's two late goals brought the tie in overtime, and the 3 v 3 format seemed to suit the Lions better as they exerted increasing pressure on the demoralised Swiss defence.

The pressure paid off when Artturi Lehkonen scored Finland's third and decisive goal just three minutes into overtime.

The 3-2 win from 2-0 down marked another dramatic turnaround for the Finnish team in this tournament, which began with an ignominious 4-1 defeat to Slovakia in their first game.

The Lions are now guaranteed at least a bronze medal, and they will now play against Canada in Friday's semi-final. The game begins at 5:40pm Finnish time and will be available to watch on Yle TV1 as well as on Yle Areena.