The Latvian national hockey team finished the World Championship in Switzerland in sixth place, losing to Norway in the quarterfinals with a score of 0:2. Despite the disappointment after the defeat, head coach Harijs Vitolins and defender Oskars Cibulskis emphasized that the team had a strong tournament and made significant progress.
The chance for the semifinals was real
In the quarterfinal match in Fribourg, Latvian hockey players took 34 shots on the opponent's goal, but were unable to beat Norwegian goalkeeper Henrik Haukeland. The advantage of the Latvian team was particularly noticeable in the third period, when they outshot their opponent 19 to 4.
After the match, head coach Harijs Vitolins did not hide his disappointment.
"We had enough moments to score more than one goal, but this time we didn’t score," the coach told the LETA agency.
According to him, the team deserved more.
"This team had character; it’s a pity it turned out this way. Perhaps they deserved to go further," noted Vitolins.
The coach emphasized that the players did everything possible.
"We did everything we could; we just had a bit of bad luck in some moments. You can’t win without scoring goals. At the same time, the guys fought until the end — thank you very much to them for that," he added.
Cibulskis: The whole team feels a great sense of bitterness
Defender Oskars Cibulskis, recognized as the best player of the Latvian team in the quarterfinals, shared similar emotions after the match.
"Of course, we wanted to win this match. The opponent was one we could beat, but this time they managed to score, and we couldn’t get the puck in the net," said the hockey player.
According to the experienced defender, there was disappointment in the locker room after the game.
"The whole team feels a great sense of bitterness because the opponent was within our capabilities, and we knew that. We tried, but it didn’t work out," Cibulskis admitted.
At the same time, he believes that the championship was successful overall.
"I think many didn’t expect us to reach the quarterfinals at all, but we did. I think we showed quite good hockey, defeating strong opponents, but today something didn’t work out," noted the defender.
New leaders of the team
Vitolins specifically highlighted the players who became leaders of the team in the current World Championship.
The coach particularly noted captain Rudolfs Balcers, calling his performance sensational. He also praised Sandis Vilmanis, who played his first full tournament with the national team, and Denis Smirnov, who managed to stand out after a challenging club season.
"I think every player in this championship showed themselves from a completely different side, and many played after injuries. I believe that overall, everyone took a step forward," emphasized the head coach.
The best players of the Latvian team in the tournament were recognized as goalkeeper Kristers Gudlevskis, as well as forwards Rudolfs Balcers and Sandis Vilmanis.
Second-best result in history
Despite the painful loss in the quarterfinals, sixth place became the second-best result in the history of the Latvian national team at the World Championships.
A higher achievement was only reached by Latvian hockey players in 2023, when they won bronze medals at the World Championship for the first time.
The current tournament showed that after a generational change, the national team managed to maintain competitiveness, and the emergence of new leaders gives grounds to look optimistically at the next major international tournaments.
