photo: Tim Austen/IIHF
Finland burst out to a 6-2 lead after one period and coasted to a 10-2 win over Latvia this afternoon in Allen, Texas. The win shoots the Finns into first place over idle Canada with a 2-0-1-0 record for seven points. Latvia drops to 0-1-0-2 and remains in fourth spot.
Shots favoured the victors, 44-14. Max Westergard and Eetu Orpana each had a goal and three assists. They also now co-lead the tournament with a +10 rating.
"We didn't over-think the game," said Aapo Vannanen of Finland. "We handled everything pretty well. We knew they were going to play hard, but we played really well defensively after the first period when we made a few mistakes."
"They got one; we got one back. Then we did that again," said Roberts Naudins. "The coach said, next one is ours. It wasn't. But these things happen. It's U18 and high level, but it's still youth hockey. We have to recover and be ready for the next game. Yesterday we played, and they didn't have game, so they were fresher."
Both teams have one game remaining in the round robin. Finland takes on Canada tomorrow for first place while Latvia and Slovakia battle on Monday in an important game likely to determine third place in Group A.
"It will be a huge game," Vannanen said of tomorrow's showdown. "We've been waiting for this all tournament. We haven't played their best team yet. They're a very good team, so we have to be ready. We have to play like we've played in the last two games and battle hard."
Today’s game was a wild one. Orpana opened the scoring at 2:53 when he banged in a loose puck from the blue ice after Latvian goalie Regnars Capars bobbled the original shot. Two minutes later, however, Latvia tied it. Martins Klaucans barrelled down the left wing on a two-on-one and fired a snap shot over Patrik Kerkola’s shoulder to make it 1-1.
Teams exchanged two more quick goals. Finland went up at 5:40 on a quick pass across the crease from Westergard to Rasmus Pakarinen, prompting Latvian coach to pull Capars in favour of Ivans Kufterins. Just 64 seconds later, Latvia tied it again. Reinis Auzins was in the slot to claim a loose puck, and he snapped another high shot past Kerkola.
Finland decided enough was enough at this point and rattled off four unanswered goals in a span of six minutes. Westergard got one off the rush that trickled in off Kufterins at 8:16, and 17 seconds later it was 4-2 thanks to another Pakarinen score from in close.
Vanninen scored on a one-timer on the power play, and Jasu Mensonen snapped another past Kufterins from the off wing to close out a wide-open 20 minutes.
Reversing his earlier decision, Sorokins then re-inserted Capars to start the second, and it was certainly a wiser move. Capars was solid, and although he allowed two goals, many of the 16 shots he faced were tough ones.
Finland upped their lead to 7-2 at 14:22 when Jere Somervuori finished off a passing play with Vanninen. Then, with just 37.6 seconds left, Rasmus Kamarainen tipped in a Ossi Sippola point shot to make it 8-2.
Jesper Kotajarvi added a ninth goal late in the third when his long wrist shot sailed over Capars's glove and in. Jesse Parssinen finished the scoring with 18.1 seconds left.
"We want to compete in every game," Naudins emphasized. "There are a lot of scouts here, and we have to perform as a team. We want to win every game. That's what we're here for. The score didn't tell that, but we still competed in the third period even with the score what it was. We were fighting and giving our best."
Shots favoured the victors, 44-14. Max Westergard and Eetu Orpana each had a goal and three assists. They also now co-lead the tournament with a +10 rating.
"We didn't over-think the game," said Aapo Vannanen of Finland. "We handled everything pretty well. We knew they were going to play hard, but we played really well defensively after the first period when we made a few mistakes."
"They got one; we got one back. Then we did that again," said Roberts Naudins. "The coach said, next one is ours. It wasn't. But these things happen. It's U18 and high level, but it's still youth hockey. We have to recover and be ready for the next game. Yesterday we played, and they didn't have game, so they were fresher."
Both teams have one game remaining in the round robin. Finland takes on Canada tomorrow for first place while Latvia and Slovakia battle on Monday in an important game likely to determine third place in Group A.
"It will be a huge game," Vannanen said of tomorrow's showdown. "We've been waiting for this all tournament. We haven't played their best team yet. They're a very good team, so we have to be ready. We have to play like we've played in the last two games and battle hard."
Today’s game was a wild one. Orpana opened the scoring at 2:53 when he banged in a loose puck from the blue ice after Latvian goalie Regnars Capars bobbled the original shot. Two minutes later, however, Latvia tied it. Martins Klaucans barrelled down the left wing on a two-on-one and fired a snap shot over Patrik Kerkola’s shoulder to make it 1-1.
Teams exchanged two more quick goals. Finland went up at 5:40 on a quick pass across the crease from Westergard to Rasmus Pakarinen, prompting Latvian coach to pull Capars in favour of Ivans Kufterins. Just 64 seconds later, Latvia tied it again. Reinis Auzins was in the slot to claim a loose puck, and he snapped another high shot past Kerkola.
Finland decided enough was enough at this point and rattled off four unanswered goals in a span of six minutes. Westergard got one off the rush that trickled in off Kufterins at 8:16, and 17 seconds later it was 4-2 thanks to another Pakarinen score from in close.
Vanninen scored on a one-timer on the power play, and Jasu Mensonen snapped another past Kufterins from the off wing to close out a wide-open 20 minutes.
Reversing his earlier decision, Sorokins then re-inserted Capars to start the second, and it was certainly a wiser move. Capars was solid, and although he allowed two goals, many of the 16 shots he faced were tough ones.
Finland upped their lead to 7-2 at 14:22 when Jere Somervuori finished off a passing play with Vanninen. Then, with just 37.6 seconds left, Rasmus Kamarainen tipped in a Ossi Sippola point shot to make it 8-2.
Jesper Kotajarvi added a ninth goal late in the third when his long wrist shot sailed over Capars's glove and in. Jesse Parssinen finished the scoring with 18.1 seconds left.
"We want to compete in every game," Naudins emphasized. "There are a lot of scouts here, and we have to perform as a team. We want to win every game. That's what we're here for. The score didn't tell that, but we still competed in the third period even with the score what it was. We were fighting and giving our best."
Latvia vs Finland - 2025 IIHF U18 Men's World Championship
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