In the first game of the 2025 World Junior Championship, Latvian young hockey players won the post-game shootout with 3:2 (0:0, 0:1, 2:1, 0:0, 1:0).
Goalkeeper Linards Feldbergs was recognized as the best in the Latvian national team, who saved 55 out of 57 shots in this match, and also did not allow the opponents to score goals in post-game shots. Eric Mateiko made the winning shot.
The first goal was scored in the fourth minute of the second period, when after a mistake by the Latvians in the middle zone, Djets Lučanko got the puck in the minority and skated against Feldberg, making it 1:0. The Latvians achieved a draw 20 minutes later, when Mateiko made an unerring shot towards the goal without stopping the puck.
Five minutes and 38 seconds before the end of regular time, Kellam Ritchie regained the lead for Canada with a lightning shot from the penalty area. When there were two minutes and 29 seconds left until the final signal, national team captain Pēteris Bulāns mostly sent the puck from the middle of the zone through the bustle of players, and it reached the goal – 2:2.
Bruno Osmanis assisted in both goals.
No more goals were scored in the rest of the game, so the match ended with a shootout. Feldberg and Jack Ivankovic, who saved 24 shots in 65 minutes, played successfully.
The first seven shots were missed by both teams, just like the Canadians missed their eighth. With the eighth Latvian shot, Mateiko added a point to the match, who made it 1:0 in the series and 3:2 in the match.
An estimated 17,490 spectators watched the game in the usually popular tournament in North America.
In subgroup A, it was the first match for the Latvian hockey players, while the Canadians played their second match. On Thursday, in the opening game, the Canadian U-20 national team defeated their Finnish peers 4-0, but the USA and German hockey players are also playing in this group.
The last time the Latvian juniors met the Canadian U-20 national team was at the last championship in Sweden, losing 0:10.
In the continuation of the tournament, Latvian ice hockey players will meet the USA national team on Saturday at 10:30 p.m., on December 30 at 10:30 p.m. they will play against their peers from Germany, and in the final battle of the subgroup on December 31 at 9:30 p.m. they will compete against the Finnish national team.
Sweden, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Switzerland and Kazakhstan play in subgroup B.
The top four teams in each group will advance to the quarter-finals, while the fifth-placed teams will play 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 an identical 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 (Šellefteo 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).