IIHF – Americans burst Latvia’s bubble

The United States won their 10th straight World Junior Championship game (stretching over three tournaments) this afternoon in Ottawa, defeating a beleaguered Latvian team by a 5-1 count.

The Latvians were playing only 17 hours after their exhausting and historic victory over Canada last night and couldn’t contain the U.S. attack, which repeatedly moved the puck east-west to get goalie Linards Feldbergs moving from side to side rather than facing shots square to the shooter. 

Over the course of two games in less than 24 hours, Feldbergs faced an astounding 105 shots (regulation, overtime, shootout) and allowed just seven goals in all. 

The Americans had never lost to Latvia in World Junior play previously, winning all five games by a cumulative score of 42-8. The win moves the U.S. to 2-0 in Group A and drops Latvia to 1-1. 

“We were ready right form the drop of the puck,” said American forward James Hagens, who had two assists for the winners. “They’re a great hockey team. Anyone can win on any given day. We came in here ready to give it our all. We saw the game against Canada. They never stopped coming. But we all stuck together and “Hamps” [goalie Hampton Slukynsky] played unreal, so to have him in your back pocket really helps.”

“We’re not going to look for an excuse,” said Latvian head coach Artis Abols. “We were not able to find a way to win. We had the chances. We started slowly. After last night’s game, okay, we knew the first period would be tough. But the first goal was a gift. In the second, we had good energy, had two breakaways. We weren’t able to keep them on the boards and protect the middle.”

 

Latvia played a first period today that was virtually as effective as yesterday against Canada—with one big difference. Yesterday they held the Canadians to a goalless opening 20 minutes, but today the Americans got an early goal.

Cole Eiserman knocked a puck out in front of the goal, and Danny Nelson snapped it in at 1:58. But the rest of the period was a masterclass in defensive play from the Latvians. No taking chances, no weak penalties. They rarely threatened, but in their own end they kept the Americans at bay for the most part.

Feldbergs was a rock in the Latvia goal, but perhaps the highlight of the first period was a thunderous and clean bodycheck at centre ice by Daniels Serkins on Max Plante, who was reaching for a puck. 

The U.S. opened things in the second with three unanswered goals, but how different might the game have been had Latvia capitalized on their best chance of the game. Early in the second American defender Logan Hensler lost the puck at centre ice, giving Latvia a two-on-the-goalie rush. Eriks Mateiko, yesterday’s shootout hero, passed to Markuss Sieradzskis, but his shot was stopped expertly by Slukynsky, who was making his Team USA debut. The 19-year-old was drafted 118th overall by Los Angeles in 2023 and is currently playing NCAA hockey with Western Michigan University.

“The two-on-oh save early in the second was big, I think, when it was 1-0. If they score, it’s 1-1 and the building erupts, so you never know what will happen,” the goalie offered. “So to make that save and then we got the next couple of goals was big.”

The Americans scored a cross-ice beauty on the power play just a few minutes later, Hagens finding Ryan Leonard parked by the back-door post. Valdis Dommers had a great chance for Latvia from in close, but Slukynsky was there again. He wasn’t as busy as Feldbergs, but he was called upon to make several important saves.

The U.S. took a commanding 3-0 lead during a four-on-four, again the result of a pass to the back side of the action. This time, Zeev Buium finished things off at 11:13. Feldbergs made the save of the game during a five-on-three for the U.S., snapping his glove to save a one-timer from a stunned Hagens.

But the Americans kept pressing for more and got the back-breaker with only 5.3 seconds remaining in the second, Nelson with his second of the night on a nice backhander from in tight.

Despite the score, the Latvians came out in the third and had their most offensive stretch of the tournament so far, generating several good scoring chances. Davids Livsics wired a low shot off the post, and later Daniels Serkins beat Slukynsky with a shot, only to see an American sweep the puck off the goal line.

Finally, Livsics got to a bouncing puck in front and beat Slukynsky with a high shot at 8:22, sending the crowd into a frenzy. But the U.S. got that one back on a two-on-one, Plante converting a pass across the ice from Teddy Stiga.