MINNEAPOLIS – Michael Hage scored on an influence play 44 seconds into extra time as Canada survived a blown late result in decide up a 2-1 victory over Latvia on the world junior hockey championship Saturday.
Cole Reschny had the opposite objective for the Canadians. Jack Ivankovic made 26 saves. Gavin McKenna had two assists.
Rudolfs Berzkalns replied for Latvia. Nils Maurins stopped 36 pictures.
Hage buried a one-timer on a 4-on-3 man benefit off a McKenna setup within the further interval to rescue his nation earlier than the Montreal Canadiens prospect was mobbed by teammates after Latvia’s Roberts Naudins was whistled for delay of sport late within the third.
Canada, which topped Czechia 7-5 in Friday’s opener after getting eradicated by the identical opponent on the quarterfinal stage the final two tournaments, gently ticked one other revenge field following a shocking shootout loss to Latvia — one of many largest upsets in match historical past — precisely one yr prior in Ottawa.
Canada’s subsequent sport on the males’s under-20 match is Monday towards Denmark earlier than wrapping up Group B play on New 12 months’s Eve towards Finland.
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The lacklustre Canadians, which like final yr had been taking part in the second of a back-to-back towards the rested Latvians of their curtain-raiser on the annual showcase, broke by means of within the second interval after Martins Klaucans was assessed a five-minute main penalty and a sport misconduct for an unlawful test to the pinnacle on Zayne Parekh.
Reschny took a move from McKenna on the following energy play and wheeled into the slot earlier than the Calgary Flames prospect fired previous Maurins at 2:22. Tij Iginla adopted up with a shot off the put up, however that’s as shut as Canada would come to doubling its lead with the person benefit towards the decided Latvians.
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Ben Danford — a Toronto Maple Leafs first-round decide — took a double-minor for high-sticking later within the interval that Canada killed off with out ever actually being threatened.
Caleb Desnoyers had an amazing probability to make it 2-0 halfway by means of the third solely to be denied by Maurins on the doorstep and Brady Martin clanked a shot off the crossbar with below 5 minutes to go in regulation.
That left the door open for the Latvians, they usually pounced with 1:58 left when Berzkalns kicked the puck from his skate to his stick for the equalizer earlier than the penalty to Naudins set the stage for the late drama.
Ivankovic, who wasn’t at fault for the Latvian catastrophe three hundred and sixty five days earlier and acquired the beginning at 3M Area on the College of Minnesota campus after Carter George performed Friday, needed to be sharp early.
The North Individuals, who outshot the Latvians 57-26 a yr in the past, didn’t register an effort on objective at 5-on-5 till the halfway level of the primary interval and Markuss Sieradkis appeared to present the Latvians the lead. However the puck was deemed to have been kicked in earlier than Canada began to push late in a interval that ended 0-0 — the identical rating as final yr’s stunner within the nation’s capital.
MARTONE MEA CULPA
Porter Martone apologized within the hours earlier than the three:30 p.m. native time puck drop for his actions within the dying moments of Friday’s victory. The Canadian captain scored the empty-net clincher and was then assessed an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty after skating previous Czechia’s bench and tapping ahead Adam Novotny on his bottom.
“Unacceptable,” Martone advised reporters on the group’s resort. “It units a foul (instance) … I take full accountability.”
HANDSHAKE DRAMA
Hockey Canada additionally issued an apology after the group failed to participate within the post-game handshake line with the Czechs.
“Hockey Canada takes full accountability for this oversight and we’ve apologized to the group, Czech Ice Hockey Affiliation and (Worldwide Ice Hockey Federation) for our mistake,” the federation stated in an announcement Saturday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first printed Dec. 27, 2025.
© 2025 The Canadian Press
