Despite going 2-0 down in the first period and then 3-0 down in the second, the Latvian team kept their cool and fought back to make it 2-3 by the time the third period rolled around. Improving as the game went on, it felt as if it would be only a matter of time before they evened the score, but the Swedes held on somehow to secure a place in the semi-finals.
Latvian coach Artis Ābols gave a stoical assessment, saying the Latvian hockey players really believed in themselves only when the score in the second period became 2:3. But he praised goal tender Linards Feldbergs, who is without doubt one of the players of the tournament.
“In sports, in hockey, everything is – you either win or you lose,” Ābols told the Latvian Hockey Federation. “There’s nothing to be too happy about, because we didn’t win a medal, but there’s nothing to be ashamed of either. Let’s move on.”
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