Coach Bob Hartley should be proud. And with good reason. Latvia, led by Hartley, beat Canada 2-0 on Friday in the World Ice Hockey Championships.
The victory was even more enjoyable for Latvia as the competition, with Canada playing its first match, is being held in that country.
Latvian goalkeeper Matisse Keflinx was the great champion in the match in Riga, blocking many pucks that were aimed at him.
Miks Indrasis was the first to hit a Latvian goal, during the power game, with only two seconds remaining in the opening round. Oskars Batna also beat goalkeeper Darcy Comper in the second half.
Among the Canadian squad, whose main coach was Gerard Gallant, a member of Kebeker’s Maxime Comtua, of the Anaheim DX, and defender Nicholas Bowden, of the Chicago Black Hawks, are notably part of the list.
For Hartley, this unexpected victory against Canada comes on top of his recent victory in the Continental Hockey League (KHL), after he won the Gagarin Cup with Omsk Avangard in early May.
