LATVIA MOVES ON TO NEXT ROUND IIHF 2025 World Junior Championship

With a 4-3 overtime win over Germany on Monday, Latvia locked up its spot in the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship quarter-finals. Eriks Mateiko stepped up with two goals, including the OT winner at 3:23, as the Latvians rallied from a 2-0 second-period deficit.

Oliver Murnieks chipped in a goal and two assists for the Latvians. Germany outshot Latvia 40-22, but couldn't get the three-point regulation win it needed to make the next round.

Finishing last in Group A, Germany must reset and refocus for Thursday's do-or-die relegation showdown at the Canadian Tire Centre. Their opponent will be the loser of Tuesday's Kazakhstan-Switzerland game.

The Germans didn’t look tired after losing 3-0 to Canada the night before, delivering a hard-working effort in a losing cause.

After their thrilling 3-2 shootout upset over Canada, the Latvians faced pressure to earn a quarter-final berth here. Latvia has one remaining game versus Finland and could sitll improve its seeding with a New Year's Eve win.

In goal, Linards Feldsberg, the hero against Canada, looked strong in his third straight start for Latvia. Germany's Linus Vieillard, who recorded 40 saves in a 3-1 loss to Finland, got his second start.

Coach Tobias Abstreiter's Germans got off to an ideal start. Just 19 seconds in, Simon Seidl snared the puck off a faceoff in the Latvian end and whipped it over the glove of Feldbergs.

Germany continued to carry the play, buoyed by strong defence, and Latvia didn’t register a shot until close to the eight-minute mark. First-period shots were 14-4 for Germany.

In the second period, even though Latvia pushed back, Germany continued the pattern of quick-strike scoring off an offensive-zone draw. Six seconds into an interference minor to Latvian captain Peteris Bulans, German captain Edwin Tropmann made it 2-0 with a rising centre-point wrister at 8:40.

The Latvians needed a rapid response, and they got it just 32 seconds later. Bruno Osmanis controlled the puck below the German goal line off a faceoff and sent it to Mateiko. The Latvian power forward, who notched the shootout winner versus Canada, fired a one-timer past Vielllard's glove.

Osmanis remained a thorn in Germany's side in the third period, firing a long shot through traffic that made it 2-2 at 6:55. There was understandable concern when a follow-through from German blueliner Max Hense clipped Osmanis in the face in the German end with under nine minutes left in regulation. He skated off to the dressing room in discomfort.

Things got messy toward the end. Germany had a golden opportunity to regain the lead when Krists Retenais was sent off for delay of game after flipping the puck over the glass in his own zone. The Germans pulled their goalie in an attempt to stop the game from going to overtime, and Murnieks lofted a backhander into the empty net for a 3-2 Latvian lead at 17:16.

However, just 20 seconds later, David Lewandowski made it 3-3 on that same power play with the goalie still pulled. Germany's quest for a regulation-time winner continued, but it was fruitless.

Latvia’s best previous World Junior finish is seventh (2022). Germany, as West Germany, peaked at fifth (1981) and more recently came sixth twice (2021, 2022).