Latvians celebrate double triumph
Switzerland slips before a duel with Germany
05/23/2023, 10:25 p.m
The Swedes lose the “group final” at the Ice Hockey World Championships against the USA, unlucky in overtime. The game ends particularly bitterly for top talent Lucas Raymond, the 21-year-old loses a tooth. Meanwhile, Germany’s opponents in the quarter-finals are having a hard time.
Co-hosts Latvia snatched last place in the quarterfinals of the Ice Hockey World Championships in Tampere and Riga. After a fantastic duel, the Baltics surprisingly won 4:3 (0:0, 2:1, 1:2, 1: 0) after extra time and moved up to third place. The 4:1 (3:0, 0:1, 1:0) against Norway in a long-distance duel with Latvia was of no use to Slovakia, who came third in the Olympics.
Swede Lucas Raymond lost a tooth.
(Photo: AP)
The knockout of Slovakia as fifth in the group increases Germany’s chances of qualifying directly for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan via the world rankings after the end of the World Cup.
The fiery Latvians, who meet the USA in the first knockout round on Thursday, took the lead twice through Ralfs Freibergs (22) and Rodrigo Abols (27), but Germany quarter-final opponents Switzerland turned things around with goals from Kevin Fiala (27). .), Marco Miranda (48th) and record national player Andres Ambühl (54th) the game. However, Iserlohner Kaspars Daugavins (55th) forced the extension and thus the necessary point for the hosts. The cauldron in Riga was boiling. In overtime, Rudolfs Balcers (63′) scored and the kettle boiled over. However: The Confederates, who had won all six preliminary round games up to that point, rested a few stars for the quarter-finals against Germany.
Lucas Raymond loses a tooth
Canada had previously secured second place and a duel with Finland by beating the Czech Republic 3-1 (1-0, 0-1, 2-0). Peyton Krebs (20th), Tyler Myers (45th) and Lawson Crouse (60th) scored for the record world champion.
In Group A in Tampere, the Americans took first place thanks to a 4-3 (1-1, 2-0, 0-2, 1-0) win against Sweden after extra time – with a historic feat: the first US team to win they seven games in a row at a World Cup tournament. Nick Bonino (17th), Conor Garland (34th), Lane Hutson (40th) and Dylan Samberg (62nd) scored for the USA. Leo Carlsson (10’/55′) and Timothy Liljegren (58′) had put Sweden into overtime.
Shortly before the end of regular time there was a painful incident: US goalscorer Garland went through with a shot and hit Lucas Raymond in the face – the Swede lost a tooth, which he picked off the ice shortly afterwards. The Tre Kronor meet the Czech Republic in the quarterfinals. World and Olympic champions Finland finished third in the preliminary round with a 7-1 (3-0, 3-0, 1-1) thrashing of Denmark.