Latvia is a small country of only 1.9 million people in the Baltic region of Europe. There are only a few Latvian players currently in the NHL such as Zemgus Girgensons and Elvis Merzlikins. Due to the lack of a talent pool and population to pick from, the Latvian Men's team has rarely qualified for the World Junior tournament. Then once they make it to the tournament, they are subsequently taken down by the more powerful hockey nations and are quickly relegated again. Latvia has never won a game at the World Junior Championship, until Sunday.
The Latvian team has been getting better with every game in this tournament. In their first game they lost 6-1 to Finland, and in the second game they lost only 5-2 to Canada. On Friday night they were one shot away from getting their first win as they lost in a shootout 3-2 to Slovakia. But on Sunday, after 27 straight loses at the tournament, with nothing to lose and everything to gain, Latvia played the game of their life and took down a pretty good Czechia team 5-2. The celebration felt like a huge moment for the team as it will be the first time Latvia will advance to the Quarter finals.
