Latvian U18 women’s national team wins bronze awards
The Latvian U18 women’s ice hockey team ended their participation in the second division group A tournament of the World Championship on Saturday, January 25, in Istanbul, Turkey, losing to the hosts Turkey with a score of 1:4. Despite the loss in the last game, the Latvian team took 3rd place overall, winning bronze medals. As reported by the TV channel TV3.
Summary of championship progress and results
In the tournament, which took place from January 19 to 25, the Latvian national team collected seven points in five games. Before the final match against Turkey, the Latvian U18 team had won against the Netherlands (4:3) and New Zealand (4:0), as well as experienced losses against South Korea (2:3 in penalty kicks) and Kazakhstan (1:9). In the overall standings of the tournament, victory was celebrated by South Korea, which was superior in all five games, ahead of Kazakhstan. The Latvian national team ranked third, securing bronze medals. The fourth and fifth places were shared by the Netherlands and Turkey, while the New Zealand national team was relegated to a lower division. This is the fifth year of participation of the Latvian U18 women’s national team in the world championships in this age group.
The decisive game against Turkey
In the last match of the championship against the hosts Turkey, the Latvian national team failed to show its best performance. Turkey opened the scoring in the seventh minute of the game. Rezervi’s advantage was restored at the end of the first period, when Kjara Paula Želubovska scored 14 seconds before the end, making it 1:1. However, in the second third, the Latvian team conceded two goals, and the result became 1:3 in favor of Turkey. At the end of the game, one and a half minutes before the end, the Turkish team scored another goal in the minority, consolidating their victory with 4:1. Ramona Putreniece guarded Latvia’s goal in this game, saving 23 of 27 shots.
Latvian national team composition and previous matches
This year’s U18 Women’s World Championship in Group IIA took place in Istanbul, Turkey, from January 19 to 25. The Latvian national team included goalkeepers Ramona Putreniece and Megija Kaže, defenders Agneta Albert, Anna Elza Glāzniece, Egija Girgin, Elizabete Dobrovļaninā, Uva Bērziņa, Elsa Pavlova, Kintija Ilvija Tropa, Kristīne Freimane and Rachel Taube, as well as forwards Agnese Varlamova, Kitija Dūce, Alina Ščepin, Darja Ozima, Dita Kokina, Karīna Neiberga, Sarma Gusar, Viktorija Kuzovatkina, Kjara Paula Želubovska and Roze Briede. In previous games, the Latvian national team lost to South Korea 2:3, lost to Kazakhstan 1:9, won the Netherlands 4:3 and beat New Zealand 4:0.
Future perspectives
Although the national team ended the championship with a loss, winning bronze medals is an important achievement for Latvian youth women’s hockey. This confirms the dedication of the athletes and the work of the coaches, and gives grounds for optimism about further development and success in the future. The Latvian U18 women’s national team is in the fifth world championship in this age group, and the bronze is a valuable contribution to Latvian hockey traditions.
