Team Latvia has had a very unique road to the quarter-final of the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship (WJC). They didn’t score a single goal in the first three games of the group stage, but an important 6-2 win against Germany allowed Latvia to avoid the relegation game and qualify for the quarter-final. They got a difficult matchup against the United States, but as Czechia proved against Canada, they hoped to show that there are no guarantees in a tournament like this. Unfortunately, it didn’t go well for them as they lost 7-2, but they kept fighting and never gave up, which is key for an underdog team.
Latvia’s Defense Needed to Hold Up
In order to walk away with an upset win over the Americans, Latvia would’ve needed to sustain immense pressure in the defensive zone but find a way to keep the puck out of the net. Unfortunately, that was not the case, as Team USA got out to a 2-0 lead just 13 minutes into the game. By the end of the first, three pucks had found the back of Latvia’s net.
Team Latvia looked much better 5-on-5 in this regard early in the second period, but the longer it went on, the USA started finding ways to wear them down. At the end of the second period, Latvia trailed 6-1 following a power-play goal and two even-strength goals from the Americans. They played much better in the final frame, as they only allowed a single goal. It was a difficult night overall, but despite the score, Latvia made themselves proud during this tournament.
Key Players Make an Offensive Impact
Latvia needed to get a big performance from their star players, Sandis Vilmanis (Florida Panthers) and Dans Locmelis (Boston Bruins), if they hoped to have a chance at winning this game. Locmelis kept them in the game with a goal to make it 2-1 late in the first period. Unfortunately for Latvia, the USA responded with an immediate goal to make it 3-1. The important thing about that first goal though, is it showed progress. Against elite teams early in the tournament, Latvia couldn’t find the back of the net. Now, when it matters they were able to score one and keep the game competitive for a little bit longer. Locmelis added a second one late in the third period to make it 7-2 in favor of the Americans. Although it didn’t make a big difference in the grand scheme of things, it showed that they weren’t going to give up against a tough opponent.
Penalty Kill Continues to Struggle
The Latvians killed off Team USA’s first power play in the first period. However, as we’ve seen time and time again during the tournament, Team Latvia allowed a power-play goal in the second period. Entering tonight’s game, Latvia was ninth in the tournament in penalty kill percentage with 52.94%. They were also third in the tournament for most minor penalties taken with 20. That combination will almost certainly lead to goals against them if they’re not perfectly disciplined. Especially when you consider the fact that the Americans have the most goals for in the tournament, with 29 entering this game, giving them any type of advantage will make things much more difficult.
To have any chance to pull out an upset win, Latvia would’ve needed to be more disciplined than ever. However, they weren’t able to do so. When playing a higher quality opponent though, it does make sense. There’s no question that the Americans had the more talented team, and for Latvia to try to make up the difference they have to play aggressively, which leads to more penalties.
Related: 2024 Guide to the World Junior Championship
Latvia may be eliminated from the WJC this year, but the most important thing is that they were able to avoid the relegation game and will remain in the top division until at least next year. With some of their key players losing eligibility after this tournament though, they will need to have some young players take a massive step forward in the next twelve months to not only stay up once again but try to take the next step forward. Losing 7-2 in a knockout game always hurts regardless of the circumstances, and the players who will return for next year’s team will need to use that as motivation to make sure it doesn’t happen again next time out.
