Latvia Still Unbeaten After Late Goal

A goal with just 1:07 left in the game gave Latvia a 2-1 victory over Italy, putting them at 3-0 to start the tournament. 

In a surprising twist, the Italians found a way to score first. At 3:38, Tommaso Traversa forced a Latvian turnover in the neutral zone and got the puck to Marco Insam. Insam then proceeded to rush into the offensive zone and wristed a hard shot to the outside of the right hashmarks, beating Elvis Merzlikins to make it 1-0 for the team in blue.

But that wouldn't last for long. At 12:09, Guntis Galvins' shot was tipped in by Andris Dzerins, beating Andreas Bernard through the legs with a shot he had no chance of keeping out to make it 1-1.

The game didn't feature much offense after that, but Latvia would strengthen their chances at making the quarter-finals with a late goal. With 1:07 left in the game, Dzerins got his second of the day after sending a very hard shot between Bernard's legs, giving Latvia the 2-1 win. The team would hold on to it after Italy failed to get any scoring chances in the final minute, giving Latvia their third straight win at the World Hockey Championships.

The challenge just gets tougher for Latvia, who has to meet up with Sweden on Thursday. Italy, who still sits in a regulation spot in seventh place (Denmark can't be relegated) in Group A, will have the privilege of playing the United States on Wednesday afternoon.

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