Finland continued their hot streak after their win against Denmark and beat Latvia 8-0 on Sunday.
Game Recap
It all went south for Latvia quickly when on the first shot of the game for Finland, Emil Hemming burst up the right side of the ice and snuck one in past Mikus Vecvanags’s left pad. Right after the goal, Latvia’s captain, Oskars Briedis, committed a delay of game penalty by firing the puck over the glass, and Finland went to the power play.
Towards the end of the period, Jasper Kuhta was rolling on the right side of the net, and he tried to center. Well, the puck bounced off the heel of Vecvanags’s stick and into the net. After the incredible game by Nils Maurins against Canada, fighting until the very end of the game, this is the last thing the team, but especially Vecvanags, wanted.
To end the first period, Max Westergard scooped up the loose change in front of the net to make it 3-0. The momentum for the Finns didn’t stop, as at the start of the second period, they had a 5-on-3 opportunity, and didn’t miss, as Hemming potted his second goal of the game. Joona Saarelainen made it 5-0 later on. At the end of the second period, the shots were 25-4 in favor of Finland. Roope Vesterinen, Heikki Ruohonen, and Lasse Boelius all scored goals in the final frame.
What’s Next
After Canada struggled against Latvia and beat them 2-1 in overtime, Finland came into the game today and played Latvia’s game ten times better than they did; they have to be the gold medal favorites right now. Finland will play Czechia tomorrow, and Latvia will try to bounce back against Denmark on Dec. 30.
