Team Latvia Gives the Finns a Run for Their Money, Ultimately Fall Short

On Day 4 of World Junior Championship action, Finland and Latvia kicked off the slate with the early slot. The first of four games, Finland entered the fray as heavy favorites, although the Latvians had played well through their first two games.

1st Period

Finland kicked off the scoring early, off of a Jani Nyman seeing-eye shot, assisted by Aleksi Malinen and Otto Salin:

Latvia held the surprising shot advantage in the opening frame, leading Finland 10-5 despite trailing 1-0 on the scoreboard. Oddly enough, the Latvians did a spectacular job defensively, neutralizing the Finnish attack for the most part with strong transitioning.

2nd Period

Latvia's effort in the second period looked a lot like the first; strong play, generating scoring chances but unable to capitalize. The Finns regained momentum thanks to a couple of successful penalty kills, one of which led to their second tally of the game, courtesy of Niko Huuhtanen (TBL):

From this point, the Finns took control, pinning the Latvians in their own zone for most of what remained in the middle frame. Shots after two were 20-17 in favor of Finland.

3rd Period

Latvia was determined, emptying the tank against the Finns down 2-0. The Latvians owned a 14-9 shot differential and generated several scoring chances. They would never figure out a way past G Jani Lampinen, however, which is unfortunate, as they ended up outshooting their opponent by a total of 31-29.

An empty-netter from Konsta Kapenen would seal it for Team Finland, who advances to a 2-0-1. After falling to Team Switzerland in their first game, every win is now crucial on their path to secure a medal.

For Latvia, one has to be impressed by their play in this tournament. Starting with goaltender Patriks Berzins, who was fantastic in this tournament, they battled and hung in every game, never looking defeated. At any moment, they felt like they could strike to keep themselves in it. That's a program to keep an eye on moving forward, as the parity on the international stage improves with each passing year.

Final Score: FIN 3 - LAT 0

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