Canada got off to a slow start against Latvia in their second game of the 2026 World Juniors as the two teams sit tied 0-0 after the opening 20 minutes.
The Canadians outshot Latvia 11 to seven in the first period but surrendered a handful of strong chances to Latvia early on. However, Canada did record 10 of the last 12 shots.
Latvia appeared to strike first with just under 5:30 to go in the first, but Markuss Sieradzkis was ruled to have kicked the puck into Canada’s net. The call of no-goal was upheld upon review.
Canada got their tournament started on Boxing Day with a 7-5 victory over Czechia. The win was payback for a Czech side that eliminated Canada in the quarterfinals in back-to-back years.
Canada also has revenge on their minds against Latvia, who recorded one of the biggest preliminary round upsets in recent World Junior history with a 3-2 shootout victory over Canada exactly one year ago in Ottawa.
The Canadians will get Sunday off before resuming round-robin play on Monday against Denmark. They will wrap up the preliminary round on New Year’s Eve against Finland.
