The Latvian U-20 hockey team lost to their Canadian peers 1:2 (0:0, 0:1, 1:0, 0:1) in overtime in their first match of the World Junior Championship in the USA on Saturday.
Rudolfs Berzkalns scored for the Latvian national team. Goalie Nils Maurinš saved 36 shots.
Last year, Latvian hockey players defeated Canada for the first time in history, winning 3:2 in a shootout.
The current match had everything. There were numerous scoring opportunities created by the Latvian players. There was a disallowed goal that entered the Canadian net. There was a controversial penalty against Martins Klauczans, which left his team short-handed for 5 minutes. There was a 4-minute power play for the Latvian team, during which, unfortunately, the score did not change. There was also an outstanding performance by goalie Nils Maurinš (recognized as the best player on the Latvian team).
Most importantly, there was a fight in which the Latvian hockey players looked quite respectable.
Late this evening, the Latvian team will play against the Finnish national team. Let's wish our hockey players good luck.
