Underdog Latvia put four pucks in the U.S. net en route to victory at the 2026 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship.
photo: © INTERNATIONAL ICE HOCKEY FEDERATION / ANDRE RINGUETTE
Goalie Kristers Gudlevskis shone with 45 saves as Latvia outlasted the U.S. 4-2 at the 2026 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship in Saturday's early Group A game. Sandis Vilmanis scored two empty-netters and added an assist in the third period as the Americans failed to come back.
"It's amazing that we got the win," Vilmanis told IIHF.com. "That's the most important thing."
Latvia shored up its quarter-final hopes with its second win. It now has six points in Group A with two preliminary-round games left against Great Britain and Hungary. The defending champion U.S. has five points and two games remaining versus Hungary and Austria.
Deniss Smirnovs and Haralds Egle also scored for Latvia.
Matthew Tkachuk had a goal and an assist in his second game with the Americans, and Mathieu Olivier added a single. Coach Don Granato's U.S. squad outshot Latvia 47-22 and likely deserved a better fate.
"We dominated the game, so nine times out of ten we're gonna win," Olivier said. "It's as simple as that."
Gudlevskis responded: "They're probably right. But thankfully today was that one time! We tried to stay humble. I think at the end of the day, every game is 50-50. You're going in and either you win or lose. If luck is on our side, like tonight, then I think we have a good chance."
The Latvians got buzzing on the forecheck and opened the scoring at 8:47. Martins Dzierkals grabbed the puck behind the net and pivoted to centre it to Egle, who went top shelf on goalie Devin Cooley.
"We got the rebound behind the net," Egle explained. "They sort of lost me a little bit in the middle of the ice, and the puck came out right there."
The Americans pushed back, outshooting Latvia 18-5 in the opening stanza. But Gudlevskis held down the fort, including stoning Paul Cotter in alone with less than two minutes before the buzzer. Oliver Moore slid the puck through the crease behind the goalie moments later.
With Latvia still leading at the midway point, tensions flared and a scrum broke out behind Gudlevskis' net. Olivier was sent off with Oskars Batna, but the U.S. assistant captain was assessed a double-minor, giving Latvia another power play, which proved fruitless.
Near the 12-minute mark, the crowd gasped when Smirnov's shot from the side boards nearly trickled past Cooley, but U.S. defender Ryan Ufko alertly swept the puck away from the goal line.
At 14:48, Tkachuk tied it up as the U.S. power play clicked. Off a faceoff in the Latvian end, the Florida Panthers ace and 2026 Olympic gold medalist went to the net and tipped in Moore's shot.
Of facing his NHL teammate Tkachuk, Vilmanis said: "It's awesome to play players like that. Of course, he has his own game, and he gets into everyone's mind and head. But playing against USA, playing against NHL players, it's always a really good time to learn and get the experience."
Latvia went up 2-1 at 6:06 of the third period. Cooley stopped captain Rudolfs Balcers' hard shot off the rush, but Vilmanis slipped the rebound over to Smirnovs, who put it in, just eluding Tkachuk's stick check. The longtime Swiss NL forward celebrated with a huge fist pump.
The drum-beating Latvian fans chanted with fervor as the third period wound down. Cooley foiled Balcers on a shorthanded break with Renars Krastensbergs off for tripping and then Smirnovs on a 2-on-1 break just before that penalty expired.
Then it got wild. Vilmanis added an empty-netter at 18:58. The U.S. wasn't done. With Cooley pulled for the extra skater, Tkachuk set up Olivier to make it 3-2 with 50 seconds left. But Vilmanis promptly scored his second empty-netter and the U.S. would get no closer. Vilmanis told IIHF.com it was the first time he has ever gotten two empty-netters in one game.
This isn't the first time Gudlevskis has dazzled against North American opposition. He made 55 saves against Canada in a 2-1 quarter-final loss at the 2014 Olympics.
"He's been amazing all tournament," Egle said. "We just need to do a better job of clearing the pucks in front of the net, because whatever shots are coming from the outside, he'll take care of them for sure."
Historically, the U.S. has dominated Latvia head-to-head, but the Latvians have staged a few upsets. Their first win was 3-2 on 11 May, 1998, right here in Zurich at the old Hallenstadion. Most famously, Kristians Rubins scored twice, including the overtime winner, in a 4-3 bronze-medal victory over the Americans in 2023 in Tampere, marking Latvia’s first medal in IIHF WM history.
"It's amazing that we got the win," Vilmanis told IIHF.com. "That's the most important thing."
Latvia shored up its quarter-final hopes with its second win. It now has six points in Group A with two preliminary-round games left against Great Britain and Hungary. The defending champion U.S. has five points and two games remaining versus Hungary and Austria.
Deniss Smirnovs and Haralds Egle also scored for Latvia.
Matthew Tkachuk had a goal and an assist in his second game with the Americans, and Mathieu Olivier added a single. Coach Don Granato's U.S. squad outshot Latvia 47-22 and likely deserved a better fate.
"We dominated the game, so nine times out of ten we're gonna win," Olivier said. "It's as simple as that."
Gudlevskis responded: "They're probably right. But thankfully today was that one time! We tried to stay humble. I think at the end of the day, every game is 50-50. You're going in and either you win or lose. If luck is on our side, like tonight, then I think we have a good chance."
The Latvians got buzzing on the forecheck and opened the scoring at 8:47. Martins Dzierkals grabbed the puck behind the net and pivoted to centre it to Egle, who went top shelf on goalie Devin Cooley.
"We got the rebound behind the net," Egle explained. "They sort of lost me a little bit in the middle of the ice, and the puck came out right there."
The Americans pushed back, outshooting Latvia 18-5 in the opening stanza. But Gudlevskis held down the fort, including stoning Paul Cotter in alone with less than two minutes before the buzzer. Oliver Moore slid the puck through the crease behind the goalie moments later.
With Latvia still leading at the midway point, tensions flared and a scrum broke out behind Gudlevskis' net. Olivier was sent off with Oskars Batna, but the U.S. assistant captain was assessed a double-minor, giving Latvia another power play, which proved fruitless.
Near the 12-minute mark, the crowd gasped when Smirnov's shot from the side boards nearly trickled past Cooley, but U.S. defender Ryan Ufko alertly swept the puck away from the goal line.
At 14:48, Tkachuk tied it up as the U.S. power play clicked. Off a faceoff in the Latvian end, the Florida Panthers ace and 2026 Olympic gold medalist went to the net and tipped in Moore's shot.
Of facing his NHL teammate Tkachuk, Vilmanis said: "It's awesome to play players like that. Of course, he has his own game, and he gets into everyone's mind and head. But playing against USA, playing against NHL players, it's always a really good time to learn and get the experience."
Latvia went up 2-1 at 6:06 of the third period. Cooley stopped captain Rudolfs Balcers' hard shot off the rush, but Vilmanis slipped the rebound over to Smirnovs, who put it in, just eluding Tkachuk's stick check. The longtime Swiss NL forward celebrated with a huge fist pump.
The drum-beating Latvian fans chanted with fervor as the third period wound down. Cooley foiled Balcers on a shorthanded break with Renars Krastensbergs off for tripping and then Smirnovs on a 2-on-1 break just before that penalty expired.
Then it got wild. Vilmanis added an empty-netter at 18:58. The U.S. wasn't done. With Cooley pulled for the extra skater, Tkachuk set up Olivier to make it 3-2 with 50 seconds left. But Vilmanis promptly scored his second empty-netter and the U.S. would get no closer. Vilmanis told IIHF.com it was the first time he has ever gotten two empty-netters in one game.
This isn't the first time Gudlevskis has dazzled against North American opposition. He made 55 saves against Canada in a 2-1 quarter-final loss at the 2014 Olympics.
"He's been amazing all tournament," Egle said. "We just need to do a better job of clearing the pucks in front of the net, because whatever shots are coming from the outside, he'll take care of them for sure."
Historically, the U.S. has dominated Latvia head-to-head, but the Latvians have staged a few upsets. Their first win was 3-2 on 11 May, 1998, right here in Zurich at the old Hallenstadion. Most famously, Kristians Rubins scored twice, including the overtime winner, in a 4-3 bronze-medal victory over the Americans in 2023 in Tampere, marking Latvia’s first medal in IIHF WM history.
Latvia vs United States - 2026 IIHF Men's World Championship
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