After upsetting Finland as the curtain-raiser of the World Junior Hockey Championship, Switzerland prevailed once once more with a 3-2 penalty shootout victory over Latvia in a Group B match.
Liekit Reichle managed to find the back of the net in the shoot-off session which required 14 shooters. Overall, only three players managed to score.
After Swiss keeper Kevin Pasche stopped Darels Dukurs’ attempt, Reichle eluded Patriks Berzins’ vigilance with a shot between the pads.
Pasche and Berzins were perfect through the first five rounds of the shootout. In Locmelis gave Latvia the lead before Attilio Biasca forced a seventh wave of shooters.
This is a second tiebreaker victory for Switzerland in the preliminary round. Switzerland now have four points in the standings while Latvia pick up a first and rare point.
Things had started well for the Swiss team when Louis Robin, of the Val-d’Or Foreurs, seized a return shot at 8:20 of the first period to put his club ahead.
Latvia quickly tied the game through Dans Locmelis less than five minutes later.
With 2:10 remaining in the second period, Darels Dukurs collected a return shot from one of his defensemen to beat goaltender Kevin Pasche.
But Swiss defender Rodwin Dionicio’s goal with less than two minutes left in regulation sent the two teams into a tiebreaker.
Pasche stopped 16 of 18 pucks aimed at him. Berzins gave up twice on 29 shots before the penalty shootout.
