The Latvian women’s hockey team wins a point in the post-game shootout, losing to Slovenia

On April 3, the Latvian women’s ice hockey team, in its third game at the IIHF Women’s World Ice Hockey Championship in the 1st Division Group B tournament at the Volvo Sports Center in Riga, lost to the Slovenian team in a dramatic fight with 3:4 in the shootout and won 1 point. Team captain Līga Miljoni was recognized as the best player in the Latvian national team. After three rounds of matches, the Latvian women’s national team is in 3rd place with 4 points, but they will play their next match on April 5, when they will meet Poland.

In the third game of the tournament, the Latvian women’s hockey team met the Slovenian team, and so far both teams had won and lost once. Our hockey players started very actively, attacking and making a lot of shots at the opponent’s goal, and this gave the desired result when Agnese Apsīte beat the opponent’s goalkeeper in the 14th minute. At the beginning of the second third, the Slovenians did equalize, but in the 27th minute, Anna Lagzdiņa put Latvia in the lead again with a shot from close range. After 4 minutes, team captain Līga Miljone, after a great raid in the opponent’s area, forced the goalkeeper of the Slovenian national team to capitulate for the third time with a shot under the crossbar, making it 3:1. Perhaps our hockey players got a little too happy after 2 goals, because after 1 minute the opponents got one goal back, and continued to attack and make shots at our goal, but our goalkeeper Kristiana Apsite did an excellent job in the goal. 8 seconds before the end of the second third, the Slovenians in the majority, however, equalized the result. In the third period, the Latvian hockey players attacked much more, but the Slovenians also responded with very dangerous shots, but they could not beat the goalkeepers. In overtime, playing in a 3-on-3 format, both teams had chances to finish the game, but the puck did not go in the goal, and a series of post-game shots had to be played to determine the winners. Here, too, after 5 after-game shots performed by each team, it was tied 1:1 (Linda Rulle scored the only after-game shot for Latvia), but Sāra Confidenti scored accurately for the second time in additional shots for the Slovenians, ensuring the victory for her team.

April 3, 2024, Volvo sports center, Riga (675 spectators)

Latvia – Slovenia 3:4 PM (1:0, 2:3, 0:0, 0:0, 1:2)

Goals scored: 13:46 A. Apsīte (Lagzdiņa, Rulle) 1:0, 21:42 Pezdir (Blazinsek, Fris Lorber) 1:1, 26:08 Lagzdiņa (Kezika, Želubovska) 2:1, 30:42 Miljone ( Šilajane, Yip-Chuck) 3:1, 31:45 Nylaander (Pren) 3:2, 39:52 Vakaricic (Pren, Confidenti more) 3:3, 65:00 Confidenti (decisive after-game shot) 3:4.

Post-game shots: Miljone 0:0, Nylaander 0:0, Rulle 1:0, Blazinsek 1:0, A. Apšite 1:0, Confidenti 1:1, Yip-Chuck 1:1, Fris Lorber 1:1, Šilajane 1 :1, Pren 1:1, Confidenti 1:2, Million 1:2.

Goalkeepers: K. Apsite – Dukaric

Shots: 46-38

Penalty minutes: 8-10

The best players: Līga Miljone – Sara Confidenti

Tournament table:

The IIHF Women’s Ice Hockey World Championship in Division 1, Group B takes place from March 31 to April 6 at the Volvo Sports Center in Riga, and in it all 6 teams will play a one-round tournament, and there will be 3 games on each game day – at 12:30 p.m. 16:00 and at 19:30 (at this time all matches will be played by the Latvian national team). In 2023, Slovakia (16th place in the IIHF ranking) fell out of Group A of Division 1, but Latvia (29th) won Group A of Division 2, so it can be said that our hockey players will have to compete with potential favorites in the first game. Italy is ranked 18th by the IIHF, followed by Poland 20th, Slovenia 21st and Great Britain 23rd.

Tickets for all matches can be purchased at https://www.passportix.eu/iihf-2#cat=47 or on site at the Volvo Sports Centre. The schedule of championship games can be found at: https://www.iihf.com/en/events/2024/wwib.

Latvian women’s ice hockey national team match calendar IIHF WC 1. div. In Group B, Volvo SC in Riga:

31.03.2024, Latvia – Slovakia 1:7;

01.04.2024, Italy – Latvia 2:3;

03.04.2024, Latvia – Slovenia 3:4 PM;

05.04.2024, at 19:30, Poland – Latvia;

06.04.2024, at 19:30, Great Britain – Latvia.

Latvian women’s hockey national team for participation in the World Championship in Riga:

#	Players	Position	Born year	The club represented
1	Christian Apsite	Goalkeeper	2000	DEC Salzburg Eagles (Austria)
25	Guna Esther Gailite	Goalkeeper	2001	SHK L&L
13	Aija Pigeon	Protection	1974	SHK Laima
7	Anna Kubliņa	Protection	1997	HS Kurbads/Lions
18	Emilija Yakovlev	Protection	2007	HS Riga
14	Ksenia Kezika	Protection	2004	HS Riga
11	Louise Zemesaraja	Protection	2005	Talsu Hockey Club/SHKL&L
6	Sun of Madara	Protection	2006	HS Riga
15	Sabine Kate Rubina	Protection	2003	HS Kurbads/Lions
23	Agnes Apsite	Attacker	1998	DEC Salzburg Eagles (Austria)
19	Anna Lagzdina	Attacker	1996	Reapers (Canada)
9	Evelina Kolite	Attacker	2004	HS Riga
12	Hannah Strauss	Attacker	2007	HS Kurbads/Lions
16	Karina Šilajane	Attacker	2003	HS Riga
17	Kjara Paula Želubovska	Attacker	2008	HS Riga
22	Krista Yip-Chuck	Attacker	1995	Burlington Barracudas (Canada)
10	Laima Elizabete Lukaševiča	Attacker	2000	SHK L&L
24	Linda Rulle	Attacker	2005	Rochester Institute of Technology Tigers (USA)
21	League Million	Attacker	1997	Villach Lady Hawks (Austria)
4	Sarma Gusar	Attacker	2008	HS Riga
2	Charlotte Stahl	Attacker	2007	HS Riga