The goals for Latvia were scored by Eduards Tralmaks, recognized as the best player of the match for the home team, and Fēliks Gavars, whose precise shot in the final third briefly revived the hopes of the home fans.
The home team opened the scoring in the first period, while the Swiss scored two goals in less than a minute in the second period and were already ahead 3:1 by the final break. Gavars reduced the score further, but the Swiss shot the puck into an empty net in the penultimate minute to avenge their defeat 24 hours earlier.
After the loss, Latvian coach Harijs Vītoliņš admitted to reporters that he liked the second game against Switzerland better, despite the loss. Having gained the initiative in the game, the team got the impression that it could do anything, and both the defensemen and the forwards started doing things they shouldn’t do, said Vītoliņš. However, the coaches were pleased with the team’s attitude after the second period, as the players showed commendable fighting spirit and excitement after the break.
Vītoliņš believes the team is in a good state of preparation ahead of final warm-up matches in Norway.
The Latvian national team will play its group games at the World Championship in Stockholm, Sweden, with the first match against France on May 10. The opponents in the group will also include Canada (May 11), Slovenia (May 13), Sweden (May 14), Finland (May 17), Slovakia (May 18) and Austria (May 20).
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