The Latvian national hockey team is still one victory away from the quarter-finals, after the loss to the world championship game for Finland on Sunday in Riga, the national team head coach Bob Hartley said at a press conference.
On Sunday, the Latvian national hockey team lost to Finland in the last seconds with a 2: 3 extension.
Mārtiņš Dzierkals, who was recognized as the best player of the team, scored both goals for Latvia.
Asked about the last game with Germany, which will take place on June 1 in the presence of spectators, Hartley replied that the team will play to victory.
“There will be pressure, but our players are proud to represent the country and the fans will support the team. I like positive challenges. Before today’s match, I told the guys to play with pleasure, but Monday will be the decisive day. And we’re still one win away from the quarterfinals, “said Hartley.
On the game with the Finns, he explained that the plan was not to give the Finns control of the puck.
“It simply came to our notice then. I think it was our best game here, even better than against Canada. Jānis Kalniņš played well in the goal, and we continued to fight until the end, ”said a Canadian specialist about Sunday’s game.
The team carried out a thorough research of the opponents before the match, and it was found that in the fight against the high-quality line of defense, the throws of the goal, which Latvia did more than the Finns, could bring success.
“We tried to throw the goal, and it worked. The Finns threw a lot of goals before today, and today I am proud of our players, ”Hartley expressed satisfaction with what was shown on the pitch.
Dzierkals agreed that this was a very important point for the team, moreover, there is another game in the reserve, which will be extremely important for Latvia.
“We are definitely trying to get points in every game. Germany will be facing us in the last match, and lately they have been difficult games, ”the attacker said, hoping that it would end in a favorable way for Latvia.
“It simply came to our notice then. In recent years, Latvia has had difficulty winning in overtime and “bulls”. However, Finland was the favorite, the point has been scored and the big game is ahead, ”he said.
Forward Rodrigo Ābols explained the result of the second period, when Latvia had the advantage, but the period was lost, a couple of times when the team could not change, but the Latvian national team made a lot of good throws. He stressed that the second period was like a fight with Italy, when opponents of five people defended in their zone and ran in counterattacks.
“It simply came to our notice then. It will be great to see at least some people in the stands. From this game we can take with us the confidence that we can play with all teams. If we play it, then everything will be fine, ”the hockey player who spent the season in Sweden was convinced.
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