Team Sweden was set to take on Team Latvia in the first quarterfinal of the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship.
Related: A Quick Guide to the 2025 World Junior Championship
Sweden entered the game with a perfect four-win run, and Latvia was flying high on a historic Cinderella run. The Swedes were off to a hot start, scoring two goals in the first period.
The first goal came from a snipe by Zeb Forsfjall, which could, arguably, have been taken off the board due to interference. The call was missed, though, and Sweden took the early lead.
The second Swedish goal was a rocket from Sabres prospect Anton Wahlberg just seconds after the faceoff. Both were able to zip past Latvian netminder Linards Feldbergs to give Sweden the enviable 2-0 advantage heading into the second period.
Things began to seem hopeless for Team Latvia as the second period ticked away. Sweden’s David Edstrom found the back of the net on a power play, with assists to Victor Eklund and Felix Unger Sorum. Edstrom scored once again in the second period, but the goal was removed after an offside call.
While most teams could feel pretty confident with a three-goal lead against their opponent, the Latvians have proven that they will not quit until the job is done.
No player on Team Latvia has a clearer case for MVP than Eriks Mateiko. The Washington Capitals prospect notched a goal following Edstrom’s– a powerful shot that ricocheted off the left post, putting Latvia back into the fight. After a bit of back-and-forth, Mateiko was able to find the net once again from in close, firing up his teammates and keeping them within one goal of the Swedes.
While both teams got some good looks and solid shots on goal in the third period, goaltending was the name of the game. Linards Felbergs made impressive save after impressive save, contorting and sprawling to keep Sweden from increasing their lead.
Unfortunately, Team Latvia was unable to get the offensive power they needed and fell short to Sweden, 3-2.
Despite losing in the quarterfinals, it is no secret that Latvia had a historic World Junior Championship run. Sweden will move on in the tournament and face Finland on January 4th.
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