Key Takeaways:
- Canada survived a late blown lead to defeat Latvia 2-1 in overtime at the world junior hockey championship, with Michael Hage scoring the winning goal on a power play.
- Hage’s goal rescued Canada from another stinging upset, after Latvia had tied the game with 1:58 left in regulation.
- Canada’s win came exactly one year after a stunning shootout loss to Latvia in Ottawa, one of the biggest upsets in the tournament’s history.
- The Canadians will face Denmark on Monday and Finland on New Year’s Eve in their next two games.
- Hockey Canada apologized for the team’s failure to participate in the post-game handshake line after Friday’s game against Czechia.
Introduction to the Game
Jack Ivankovic had seen this script play out before, exactly one year ago at the world junior hockey championship. The goaltender had also come to rely on his University of Michigan teammate, Michael Hage, to come through in the clutch, and on Saturday, Hage delivered once again. With 44 seconds left in overtime, Hage scored on a power play to give Canada a 2-1 victory over Latvia, sparing his country the embarrassment of another stinging upset.
The Game-Winning Goal
Hage’s goal was a thing of beauty, a one-timer on a 4-on-3 man advantage off a setup from Gavin McKenna. The big centre, a 2024 first-round pick of the Montreal Canadiens, had plenty of time and space to unleash his shot, and he made no mistake, burying the puck past Latvian goaltender Nils Maurins. "Special player," Ivankovic said of Hage. "When you give him time and space, the puck’s going to be in the net." Hage was thrilled to have helped his team win, saying "It’s pretty cool… Happy I could help us get a win… glad I got pretty good wood on it."
The Game Itself
The game was a tightly contested affair, with both teams creating scoring chances. Cole Reschny had given Canada the lead on a power play in the second period, but Latvia tied the game with 1:58 left in regulation on a goal from Rudolfs Berzkalns. The Latvians had been pesky all game, playing a defensive structure that limited Canada’s scoring opportunities. "They play a defensive structure," Canadian head coach Dale Hunter said. "Stayed back and made sure that we didn’t get odd-man rushes." However, the Canadians stuck with their game plan and were eventually rewarded with the win.
Revenge and Redemption
Canada’s win was sweet revenge for the team, which had been eliminated by Latvia in a stunning shootout loss exactly one year ago in Ottawa. The Canadians had also been knocked out by Czechia in the quarterfinals the last two tournaments, but they had topped Czechia 7-5 in Friday’s opener. "You can’t play hockey that is as (fast) and skilful as Canada," Latvian head coach Artis Abols said. "I don’t want to park the bus in the defensive zone and stay there. I want to be aggressive. But if you have a gun with 100 bullets, you can shoot all over. If you have a gun with 10 bullets, you need to be smart."
Confidence and Patience
The Canadians showed confidence and patience in the face of Latvia’s defensive structure, eventually wearing them down and creating scoring chances. "We’ve got a lot of confidence in that room," McKenna said. "We found a way." Canadian captain Porter Martone added, "They’re pesky, they play hard… I think this year, we stuck with it and didn’t get away from it. We got the result." The Canadians will look to build on this win as they face Denmark on Monday and Finland on New Year’s Eve in their next two games.
A Lesson Learned
In the hours before the game, Canadian captain Porter Martone had apologized for his actions in Friday’s dying moments, when he scored an empty-net goal and then tapped Czechia’s Adam Novotny on the backside, earning an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. Martone took full responsibility for his actions, saying "Unacceptable… It sets a bad (example)." Hockey Canada also issued an apology for the team’s failure to participate in the post-game handshake line after Friday’s game. The organization took full responsibility for the oversight, saying "Hockey Canada takes full responsibility for this oversight and we have apologized to the team, Czech Ice Hockey Association and (International Ice Hockey Federation) for our mistake."