Latvians finally earn their first tournament victory – 08.12.2016

Latvians finally win their first game in the tournament in a dominant game. 1-11 over Canada, (0-3, 1-6, 0-2).

Latvians started the game off with a slight advantage over Canada, which resulted in a goal with 3:31 in the 1st period after Latvia capitalized on the power play. Host team had taken a slight advantage in the game by showing effort and no mental struggles after their previous loss. By the end of the 1st period, Latvia were up by three goals.

Latvia couldn´t take advantage of their power play in the start of the 2nd period, but instead they kept control of the ball for most part. Canada seemed to not be able to generate anything even in those rare counter attacks. They were forced on their own side of the field. 7:33 in the period, the Latvians finally cashed one in to extend their lead. Fifth goal of the game came with just 8:52 played in the 2nd period, allowing Latvia to extend their lead even further. Mid-way through the game it was a Latvian player´s turn to head to the penalty box and give Canada their power play where they couldn´t manufacture a goal. It took Canada 45:53 to find their 1st goal of the game and that came after a brutal give-away by a Latvian defender. Latvia got a couple back by the end of the period.

The Latvians came out flying for the 3rd period, constantly attacking Canada as they did the whole game. The dominant Latvians quickly earned power-play time, scoring just moments later. 7:02 Latvians broke the rules while Canada tried to get one in there for a penalty shot but Canada didn´t score but they still earned a man advantage. Quality box play from the Latvian side meant that Canada couldn´t get on the scoreboard during that time. Immediately after the box play, the Latvians scored again. The host team looked like a powerhouse in the game against Canada, which played a huge part in the team´s first victory of the tournament.