OTTAWA, Ontario — In an exhilarating match during the world junior hockey championship, Latvia secured a dramatic 3-2 win against Canada after an intense shootout. Eriks Mateiko scored the only goal in the shootout during the eighth round, managing to find the net against Canadian goalie Jack Ivankovic on the blocker side, bringing an end to the tiebreaker after a tense sequence where the first 15 shooters were unable to score.
“We found a way,” declared Latvia’s coach Artis Abols, celebrating what marks his team’s third victory in 38 tournament games. “In one hockey game, everything is possible.” The Group A match, held at the Canadian Tire Centre, featured late power-play goals from Mateiko, who leveled the score at 1 with just 6:42 remaining, and Peteris Bulans, who equalized at 2 with only 2:29 left on the clock.
“They battled,” remarked Canadian head coach Dave Cameron, acknowledging the valiant effort from the Latvian team. Latvian goalie Linards Feldbergs was a standout player, blocking an impressive 55 shots, declaring the experience “crazy” and expressing disbelief at the team’s unexpected triumph.
Calum Ritchie and Jett Luchanko were the goal scorers for Canada, while Ivankovic recorded 24 saves. In a crucial moment during the 3-on-3 overtime, Canada found themselves penalized for having too many players on the ice, yet they managed to survive the short-handed situation, ultimately leading to the shootout.
“Devastating,” was how Canadian defenseman Tanner Molendyk described the outcome. “An eye-opener. It’s not one you want to lose, not one you see yourself losing.” Notably, Ivankovic made history by becoming the third 17-year-old goalie to represent Canada in the under-20 tournament and the first to start since Jimmy Waite in 1987.
In other Group A action, Finland triumphed over Germany with a score of 3-1. Key players Emil Pieniniemi, Arttu Alasiurua, and Jesse Kiiskinen found the back of the net, while goalie Petteri Rimpinen made 31 saves, helping Finland recover from their previous loss to Canada.
The defending champion United States kicked off their Group A campaign with a dominating 10-4 win against Germany and is set to face Latvia on Saturday. Meanwhile, in Group B at TD Place, Sweden delivered a commanding performance against Kazakhstan, winning 8-1, while Slovakia edged out Switzerland with a narrow 2-1 victory. Anton Wahlberg contributed significantly to Sweden’s success, scoring one of their five goals in the second period as the team continued to build momentum from a prior 5-2 win over Slovakia.
Jan Chovan was noteworthy for Slovakia, breaking a tie in the third period to secure their win.
