The speeds at the Olympics will be very high: our hockey players will face the USA today 0 8

Vitolins: There will be a lot of physical play, a lot of contact

The Latvian national hockey team will face a lot of physical play in their first match of the Olympic tournament against the USA, acknowledged the head coach of the Latvian team, Harijs Vitolins, in a conversation with journalists, as reported by LETA.

"We watched almost all the games of the Four Nations Tournament. An individually very strong, very dynamic team, there will be a lot of physical play and a lot of contact. We need to be ready for this," Vitolins said about the upcoming opponent.

"We need to help the goalkeeper; he must catch what he is supposed to catch and also catch the more dangerous moments because the goalkeeper keeps us in the game. The longer we stay in the game, the more nervous the opponent will get. Then there will be an opportunity to latch on and create counterattacks," he added.

Vitolins noted that despite the fact that Latvian hockey players playing in North America joined the team only on Sunday, they were only able to hold a full training session on Wednesday.

"We reviewed the standard situations that we expect the most so that the guys understand when and how to play. We went through the defense because it is clear that the opponent will try to pin us in the zone, and how to then build a counterattack. Everyone is in a good mood. It is optimistic that the match against Switzerland showed — the guys have good dynamics, good movement, and there was good interaction," the coach said.

"In general, coming to the Latvian national team is a unique phenomenon for us because we are scattered all over the world, but at the moment we meet, the guys have something to talk about, something to discuss. The atmosphere in the locker room is something that other national teams do not have," he continued.

Usually, the Latvian national team holds the most important tournament of the season — the World Championship — only at the end of spring, while the Olympic Games take place in February, and Vitolins noted that this also affects the team's readiness.

"You can feel that the guys are in a good rhythm, in shape, and only small nuances are needed here. In their free time, everyone works on what they need because everyone is in good physical shape," the coach added.

Vitolins emphasized that the Olympic tournament is short, and players need to enjoy it, but at the same time, every game can decide something.

"We want to win, and if you win, you rise higher. In the next round, a weaker opponent may come, so we approach every match with the thought of victory," he noted.

The Olympic Games in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo will last until February 22.

Zile: The speeds will be very high

At the men's hockey tournament of the Olympic Games in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo, the speeds will be very high, said Latvian national hockey team defender Kristaps Zile in a conversation with the LETA agency.

He admitted that he is glad that the Latvian team arrived earlier and had the opportunity to participate in the opening ceremony.

"We managed to settle in the village and get accustomed to the training hall and the big arena, which is very useful because the rink is significantly smaller than I am used to in the Czech Republic. You can better understand some angles and the dimensions of the rink. I have nothing to complain about; I can only say positive things, it was useful to arrive earlier," said the Latvian hockey player.

He noted that the hockey rinks, which this time are smaller than usual at International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) tournaments, were initially unfamiliar, but they managed to adapt to them in a week.

"In the first training sessions, when there were five-on-five exercises, and a defender passes to another defender, you already find yourself at the boards. That shouldn't be the case. Everyone needs to play a little tighter and more compact; then the rink helps and gives advantages. I think the speeds will be very high, the game will keep moving, and it won't be boring," the defender explained. "We have missed games; we can't wait for the match, and there is a pleasant excitement."

Zile played for the Latvian national team at the Olympic Games in Beijing, and this is his second Olympics.

"I approached this Olympics with the mindset that these are my first Olympic Games. The Beijing Olympics were still a pandemic Olympics, and when you have a swab taken from your nose every morning, the feelings from that perspective were not the most pleasant. Here, the level is completely different and the feelings are different," the Latvian athlete said.

"I would call this my first Olympics, even though I will have two in the statistics. In Beijing, there was also no better team result. Here, all the best hockey players in the world are gathered. It will be interesting to see where I am myself, where we as a team stand compared to them, but we will go out and fight," he continued.

Zile emphasized that in the match against the USA, there will certainly be a lot of work in defense, and all players of the Latvian national team are ready for this, but that does not mean that the Latvians will not strive to create attacks.

"We know what we can do as a team and in attack. We move well; we are a relatively fast team and can create good moments in attack, possibly pinning them in the zone and forcing them to play defense so that they get tired too. The main thing is to go into the game ready, with good emotions and strong character," the hockey player added.

The Latvian defender noted that when joining the national team before the World Championship, there is often a long training process, and the first matches of the tournament have to be played in a form close to the start of the season.

"Here, it is still such that you arrive already in the game rhythm, after intense matches. The guys from the NHL have just played games; I myself had four matches in six days in the Czech Republic before arriving. There is a good game rhythm, so I would like to say that we are all in better shape here than before the World Championship," Zile said.

The Olympic Games in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo will last until February 22.