The head coach of the Latvia national ice hockey team, Harijs Vitolins, stated after a large victory over Great Britain that the team did not manage to start the match well. At the same time, the coach noted that after the first goals, the Latvians showed exactly the hockey he wanted to see.
The Latvia national team confidently defeated Great Britain 6:0 and moved closer to reaching the quarter-finals of the World Championship, however, the head coach of the team, Harijs Vitolins, admitted after the match that he did not like the start of the game.
“To make it not seem so beautiful and rosy, I didn’t like the first five minutes,” said the coach after the game.
According to Vitolins, at the beginning of the match, the Latvian team made too many defensive mistakes and allowed the opponent to make dangerous counterattacks.
“It cannot be that in five minutes the British hockey players are breaking out four against two,” noted the coach.
He compared the game to the previous match against the USA, emphasizing that the team did not make such mistakes then. In the coach's opinion, at the beginning of the match, the hockey players were too eager to score, which disrupted the game balance.
“This desire to score faster, because there is puck control, there is free space, but there is no tight game,” explained Vitolins.
The turning point came after Latvia took a 2:0 lead.
“From that moment on, we started showing the hockey that you want to see,” said the coach.
He noted that the game then became spectacular and the team fulfilled all tactical assignments.
Although the Latvians did not score again in the third period, Vitolins was satisfied with the content of the game and the team's actions during the power play.
“I liked how quickly the puck moved,” emphasized the coach, adding that two goals on the power play is a good indicator.
The coach also commented on the return of forward Edvards Tralmaks to the lineup, who arrived in Zurich from North America only on the morning of the match. According to Vitolins, the forward's fatigue was noticeable, but that is absolutely normal after a flight.
The coach also praised all the lines of the national team and goalkeeper Kristers Gudlevskis, who saved the team several times at the beginning of the match.
Currently, the Latvia national team is in fourth place in Group A with nine points. To reach the quarter-finals, the team only needs to defeat Hungary in their final group stage match.
However, Vitolins has already warned that they cannot relax.
“It will be a nerve-wracking game,” said the coach about the upcoming match against the Hungarians.
According to him, such matches often turn out to be the most psychologically challenging, but the team understands the importance of the moment and must prepare well.
The match Latvia vs. Hungary will take place on Tuesday at 13:20.
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