Eriks Mateiko scored both goals for Latvia.
Forward Bruno Osmanis could not play for the Latvian team for the second game in a row, as he injured his eyelid in the match against Germany.
With the seventh shot on the goal guarded by the goalkeeper of the Latvian national team Linards Feldberg, the Swedes opened the score after playing eight and a half minutes in a counter attack. Zebs Forsfjell sent the puck into the far corner of the goal from the left throw – 1:0.
82 seconds later, after a successful throw-in in the Latvian national team zone, Antons Vālbergs sent the puck into the goal from the center of the zone, hitting the puck between Feldberg’s leg guard and glove, – 2:0.
Sweden’s superiority was indicated by the number of shots on goal. For the first time, the Latvian hockey players disturbed Melkera Telina at the end of the first period, when the Swedes had already shot 15 times at the goal guarded by Feldberg.
After the first period, the ratio of shots on goal was 19:2 in favor of the Swedes.
In the 24th minute, Anton Macijewski was sent off for holding the opponent, and the Swedes needed 34 seconds to realize the majority. Viktor Eklund’s shot was saved by Feldberg, but it bounced on the stick to the left of the goal to David Edstrom, who sent it into the goal – 3:0.
Soon after, after an intercepted pass, Markus Sieradzki skated alone with Telina on the blue line of his zone, but his shot on the ice was saved by the goalkeeper.
In the 28th minute, the Latvian national team violated the rules, with five hockey players on the field in a minority, and played in a large minority for 65 seconds, but the goal was saved without being captured.
After 29 minutes and 52 seconds, Utu Stēnberjs sent the puck into the left corner of the goal guarded by Feldberg, but after the video replay requested by the Latvian national team, the goal was canceled because it was recorded that the puck had left the Latvian national team’s zone before that.
In the 31st minute, with the second shot in the third after a successful throw in the Swedish zone, Latvia made it 1:3. After Sieradzka’s pass, Eriks Mateiko scored from the left corner of the field, scoring his fourth goal in five tournament games. Her puck sent from the center of the zone hit Telin’s leg guard and rolled over it, after bouncing off the left post of the goal, it flew into the goal.
70 seconds before the second break, Mateiko made it 2:3 in a counter attack. Telins saved the shot from a distance, but Mateiko was in front of the goal with Oliver Mūrnieks, Mateiko sending the puck under Telin’s leg guard from the right side.
The Swedish national team started the third period determinedly, but Feldberg worked perfectly in the goal, but once the puck hit the goal post of the Latvian national team.
At the end of the game, Feldberg gave way to the sixth baseman, but the score did not change.
Sieradzkis collected two assists in this match, Mūrnieks and defenseman Darel Uljanskis collected one assist each, while Feldberg saved 47 shots.
Telin made 11 saves.
Goalkeeper Feldbergs, forward Mateiko and team captain defender Pēteris Bulāns were recognized as the best for the Latvian national team in this championship.
In the other quarterfinals, USA will fight Switzerland at 21:30 Latvian time, Finland and Slovakia will start the match at midnight and Czech Republic and Canada at 2:30. The semi-finalists will be seeded based on their results in the subgroup.
Germany beat Kazakhstan 4:3 (1:2, 2:1, 1:0) in the game for keeping a place in the elite group.
The Latvians also met the Swedish juniors in their first quarter-final, losing only 1:2 in the summer of 2022. In the previous championship, the Swedes won the subgroup with 6-0.
The Latvians also made it to the top eight in the 2009 championship, but then there was a different order of play.
Most of the Swedish junior national team players represent national championship SHL teams on a daily basis. Among them is Mārtiņas Dzierkala’s teammate Schellefteo in AIK, defender Aksel Sandins-Pelika. Sandins-Pelika, the Detroit “Red Wings” talent selected in the 2023 National Hockey League (NHL) draft with number 17, is the most productive player of this championship – he has eight points (4+4) in four games.
Latvian juniors started the championship with a sensational victory over Canada (3:2 in a shootout), then lost to the USA (1:5), overtime over Germany (4:3) and lost to Finland (0:3). The Swedes were the only ones not to lose points in the main tournament, beating Slovakia (5:2), Kazakhstan (8:1), Switzerland (7:5) and the Czech Republic (4:2).
The top four teams in each group advanced to the quarter-finals, while the fifth-placed teams played one game to stay in the elite group.
Before the tournament, the Latvian U-20 national team coached by Artas Ābolas played two test matches in Canada, where they lost to their peers from the Czech Republic and Switzerland with the same score of 1:5.
Latvian U-20 national team:
goalkeepers – Linards Feldbergs (Sherbruk “Phoenix”, QMJHL), Aksels Ozols (Jelgava “Zemgale”/LBTU), Jānis Fecers (Herninga “Blue Fox”, Denmark);
defenders – Viktors Kurbaka (“Ocelari” of Tršinec, Czech Republic), Oskars Briedis (“Zemgale” of Jelgava/LBTU), Darel Uljanskis (Šlelefteo AIK, Sweden), Pēteris Bulans (Šikutimi “Sgueneens”, QMJHL), Harijs Cjunskis (Rouen-Noranda “Huskies”, QMJHL), Krišjānis Sārts (St. Cloud “Norsemen”), NAHL), Emil Skeltiņš (Amarillo “Wranglers”, NAHL), Krists Retenais (Aberdeen “Wings”, NAHL);
forwards – David Livšić (Rovaniemi “RoKi”, Finland), Erik Mateiko (St. John’s “Sea Dogs”, QMJHL), Valdis Dommers (Hradeckrálovas “Mountfield”, Czech Republic), Tom Mott (Jelgava “Zemgale”/LBTU), Raul Ozollapa ( Pršerova “Zubr”, Czech Republic), Olivers Mūrnieks (Sucity “Musketeers”, USHL), Bruno Osmanis, Markus Sieradzkis (both – Umeå “Bjorkloven”, Sweden), Rudolfs Bērzkalns (Maskigona “Lumberjacks”, USHL), Daniels Serkin (Bern, Switzerland), Antons Macijewskis, Dmitrijs Dilevka (both – Watertown “Shamrocks”, NAHL), Martins Klaucans (St. Cloud “Norsemen”), Roberts Naudiņš (“Shattuck St.Mary’s”, USHS-Prep).