The Latvian U-20 ice hockey team lost to Slovakia 1:3 (1:0, 0:1, 0:2) in a friendly match in the USA on Sunday, reports LETA.
In the 13th minute of the first period, Markus Sieradzki put Latvia ahead, but thereafter only the opponents scored with accurate shots. The third goal by the Slovaks was scored into an empty net.
The players of the Slovak national team made 28 shots on goal, defended by Nils Robert Mauniņš, while the Latvians responded with 25 shots.
On Friday, the Latvian hockey players lost to their Czech counterparts with a score of 2:3 (0:0, 1:2, 0:0, 0:1) in overtime.
For the youth world championship, 22 skaters and three goalkeepers can be registered. According to the tournament rules, an injured player who can no longer continue participating in the competition is allowed to be replaced and a new hockey player can be registered. The composition of the Latvia U-20 national team will be announced one day before the championship begins.
At the World Championship, the Latvia national team will play in the same group as Canada, Finland, Denmark, and the Czech Republic. The second group will feature Sweden, the USA, Slovakia, Switzerland, and Germany.
The top four teams will advance to the quarterfinals, while the team finishing in fifth place will play a match for the right to remain in the top division.
The 2026 Youth World Championship will take place from December 26 to January 5 in Saint Paul and Minneapolis.
