Uninspired Canada upset by Latvia in a shootout at world juniors
CBC
Eriks Mateiko scored the only goal of the shootout as Latvia stunned an alarmingly uninspired Canada 3-2 at the world junior hockey championship Friday.
The forward moved in on his country's eighth effort before firing home a goal to register one of the biggest upsets in tournament history.
Mateiko and Peteris Bulans scored in regulation for the hard-working Europeans in their first game of the 10-team showcase in the nation's capital. Linards Feldbergs stopped 54 shots over 65 minutes. Bruno Osmanis had two assists.
Calum Ritchie and Jett Luchanko replied the tournament hosts, who are coming off a disappointing fifth-place finish last year in Sweden. Jack Ivankovic made 24 saves.
Canada, which is going for its 20th gold medal, entered with a 4-0 record and a combined 41-4 scoreboard edge all-time against Latvia at the event, including a 10-0 victory some 12 months ago.
After the Latvians tied the game 1-1 on a man advantage in the third period, Ritchie blasted a one-timer upstairs off an Easton Cowan feed.
But Canada's Ethan Gauthier was whistled for hooking with just over three minutes to go and Bulans tied it on that power play with 2:29 left.
Canada took a penalty for too many men on the ice in 3-on-3 overtime, but survived that short-handed situation to force the shootout not many saw coming before the opening faceoff.
Ivankovic is just the third 17-year-old goaltender to play for Canada at the under-20 tournament, and the first to start a game since Jimmy Waite in 1987. Brian Finley got into a period of action at age 17 in 1999.
The goaltender from Mississauga, Ont., started in place of Carter George on the tail end of a back-to-back after he made 31 saves in a 4-0 victory over Finland in Thursday's opener.
Hockey Canada's brain trust led by Peter Anholt spoke before the tournament about how the group was much better prepared this time around following the disastrous performance in Gothenburg that saw the powerhouse bounced by Czechia in the quarterfinals.
The coaching staff led by Dave Cameron was in place early, while the program also held a summer camp and hired a full-time scout.
The management team insisted all the pieces were in place. There were, in short, no excuses.
Canada, however, didn't have many answers against one of the sport's minnows on Friday despite dressing 11 first-round NHL picks and three other players expected to go high at the next two drafts.
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