12 most important things about the World Championship / Article

As usual, 16 national teams will compete in the World Championship, and according to the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) ranking, the Latvian team is in 10th place – far from the main favorites, however, the bronze medals won last year have not only increased the appetite of the fans, but also strengthened the team’s faith in its own strength. Entering the quarter-finals is the first, but not the only goal of the Latvian national team in the championship, which will last until May 26.

When and where does the championship take place?

• In the group stage, the games will take place in Ostrava and Prague, each city hosting eight teams. Two quarter-finals will be held in both cities, the semi-finals and finals will take place in Prague.
• The group stage will last until May 21, with each team playing seven games.

Where will you be able to watch the World Cup matches?

• All games will be shown live on LSM.lv and replay.lv. The matches of the Latvian national team and certain other matches, including the final for gold medals, will also be shown live on LTV7.
• Before and after the games of the Latvian national team, as well as between them, all current events will be analyzed live by experts in the LTV7 Hockey Studio.
• The hockey studio will be led by LTV sports journalist Reinis Ošineks, who will be joined by goalkeeper Edgars Masalskis, who once played in the national team, and former national team hockey player Artis Ābols, who has gained significant experience in the coaching profession.

What is the tournament format?

• In the championship, 16 teams are divided into groups A and B of equal status with eight teams each.
• Each group will play a round-robin tournament until May 21, after which the four strongest teams from both groups will enter the quarterfinals.

When does the Latvian national team play?

• The Latvian national team will play its first game in the group stage on Saturday, May 11, against elite newcomer Poland. In the continuation of the group stage, the Latvians will have to play against France, Kazakhstan, Germany, Sweden, Slovakia and the USA.
  

• Entering the elimination tournament, the quarter-final match will be on May 23.
• The full game calendar can be found in the championship section.

Which teams participate in the championship?

• Austria, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Great Britain, Norway, Switzerland will play in Group A in Prague.
• France, Kazakhstan, Germany, Latvia, Poland, Slovakia, Sweden, USA will play in Group B in Ostrava.
• Russia and Belarus, as aggressor countries, are denied participation in the world championship.

Who are the main favorites for the championship?

• The current title holder Canada is the main favorite in the bookmakers’ rating and according to the position in the IIHF ranking.
• The chances of Sweden and the USA are almost equally valued.
• The first three are followed by Finland, the Czech Republic and Switzerland.
• Last year’s success of the Latvian national team reminds us that performance on the field can change all predictions.

What are Latvia’s chances of reaching the podium again?

• The Latvian national team won bronze medals a year ago, but a new tournament must be started from scratch.
• The players of the national team and the management of the national team praised the excellent atmosphere in the team, which is an important factor for achieving good results.
• The Latvian national team laid the physical foundation during a long preparation phase in order to be in excellent shape for the championship games.

Who plays in the Latvian national team?

• The Latvian national team’s 25 hockey players include seven debutants and four hockey players from the US student league, as well as National Hockey League (NHL) goalkeeper Elvis Merzlikins.
• The team selected by coach Vītoliņš consists of three goalkeepers, eight defenders and 14 forwards.
• The management of the national team still has in mind the possibility of welcoming forward Teodoras Blūger, defender Uvi Balinski and goalkeeper Artūras Šilov from North America.
• As usual, NHL striker Zemgus Girgensons did not join the team.

How will the results of the teams be counted in the tournament table?

• In the group stage games, a team is entitled to three points for a victory in regular time, a victory in extra time or shootouts will provide two points, and a loss in extra time or shootouts will be worth one point.
• If two teams end the group tournament with the same number of points, the result of the mutual match will be decisive in the distribution of places.
• If three or more teams finish with the same number of points in the group and the number of points scored in the head-to-head games is the same, the next deciding factors will be the goal difference and the number of goals scored in the head-to-head games in order.

How will the elimination tournament go?

• Teams from different groups will meet in the quarter-finals, and the teams will be paired according to the system 1A-4B, 2A-3B, 1B-4A, 2B-3A.
• The winners of the quarter-final matches will be paired in the semi-finals according to the ranking, which will count the results achieved in the group stage. The highest ranked team will meet the lowest ranked team in the semifinals.
• The winners of the semi-finals will meet in the title match on May 26, the losers in the 3rd place match will determine the bronze winners.

How will the winner of the game be determined if the score is tied after regular time

• If the score is tied after three quarters, the game will go into overtime. If neither team scores a goal in extra time, the winner will be determined in a shootout.
• In group stage games, extra time will last until the first goal scored or five minutes if no goal is scored. Overtime will last up to 10 minutes in playoff games. Separate conditions will apply in the final, where there is no shootout, but in the event of a tie, the winner will be determined in one or more 20-minute overtime periods until one team scores the winning goal.
• In overtime, each team will have a goalkeeper and three outfield players.
• Each team will delegate five hockey players to the post-match shootout. If there is still a tie after five pairs of shots, the streak will continue one player from each team until a winner is determined.

Will any team lose their place in the world championship elite after the tournament?

• At the end of the championship, the two weakest teams in the overall standings will be relegated to the A group of the first division.

Report a bug