IIHF – Americans burst Latvia’s bubble

The United States won their 10th straight World Junior Championship game (stretching over three tournaments) this afternoon in Ottawa, defeating a beleaguered Latvian team by a 5-1 count.

The Latvians were playing only 17 hours after their exhausting and historic victory over Canada last nigth and couldn’t contain the U.S. attack, which repeatedly moved the puck east-west to get goalie Linards Feldbergs moving from side to side rather than facing shots square to the shooter.

The Americans had never lost to Latvia in World Junior play previously, winning all five games by a cumulative score of 42-8. The win moves the U.S. to 2-0 in Group A and drops Latvia to 1-1. 

 

Latvia played a first period today that was virtually as effective as yesterday against Canada—with one big difference. Yesterday they held the Canadians to a goalless opening 20 minutes, but today the Americans got an early goal.

Cole Eiserman knocked a puck out in front of the goal, and Danny Nelson snapped it in at 1:58. But the rest of the period was a masterclass in defensive play from the Latvians. They rarely threatened, but in their own end they kept the Americans at bay for the most part.

Feldbergs was a rock in the Latvia goal, but perhaps the highlight of the first period was a thunderous and clean bodycheck at centre ice on Max Plante, who was reaching for a puck. 

The U.S. opened things in the second with three unanswered goals, but how different might the game have been had Latvia capitalized on their best chance of the game. Early in the second American defender Logan Hensler lost the puck at centre ice, giving Latvia a two-on-the-goalie rush. Eriks Mateiko, yesterday’s shootout hero, passed to Markuss Sieradzskis, but his shot was stopped expertly by Hampton Slukynsky, who was making his Team USA debut. The 19-year-old was drafted 118th overall by Los Angeles in 2023 and is currently playing NCAA hockey with Western Michigan University.

The Americans scored a cross-ice beauty on the power play just a few minutes later, James Hagens finding Ryan Leonard parked by the back-door post. Valdis Dommers had a great chance for Latvia from in close, but Slukynasky was there again. He wasn’t as busy as Feldbergs, but he was called upon to make several important saves.

The U.S. took a commanding 3-0 lead during as four-on-four, again the result of a pass to the back side of play. This time, Zeev Buium finished the play at 11:13. Feldbergs made the save of the game during a five-on-three for the U.S., snapping his glove to save a one-timer from a stunned Hagens.

But the Americans kept pressing for more, and got the back-breaker with only 5.3 seconds on the clock, Nelson with his second of the night on a nice backhander from in tight.

Despite the score, the Latvians came out and had their most offensive stretch of the tournament so far, generating several good scoring chances. Davids Livsics wired a low shot off the post, and later Daniels Serkins beat Slukynsky with a shot, only to see an American sweep the puck off the goal line.

Finally, Livsics got to a bouncing puck in front and beat Slukynsky with a high shot at 8:22, sending the crowd into a frenzy. But the U.S. got that one back on a two-on-one, Max Plante converting a pass across the ice from Teddy Stiga.