Finland’s under-20 men’s ice hockey team’s losing streak at the World Championships ended against Latvia. Nuoret Leijonat, who lost their first two preliminary group matches, took the result in their must-win game, defeating Latvia with 4–0 goals.
Four goals, the successes of superiority and the first time to score in the Latvia game Noa Valin a draw will surely lift the spirits of the Finnish team.
Also Urheilu’s hockey expert Top Nättinen felt that Finland was successful in the game with superiority and goalkeeper play. Still, the level of the opponent was not dizzying, and the Young Lions were not able to succeed particularly well against it even with a draw.
However, Finland still has the Sweden game ahead of them on New Year’s Eve, when there is a lot at stake, especially in terms of igniting the team.
In this article, expert Nättinen goes through the three most important points regarding the Latvia match and the continuation of the tournament.
Liberating goals, but how about a draw?
According to Nättinen, the most important thing for Finland in its game was that the team was able to free itself with two goals right at the beginning of the game. The pressure of the previous games eased a bit at the same time.
– The game with five against five didn’t seem to be very good, but those two goals freed Finland to play. Finland also visually looked more active in the rink, compared to the previous two games, he reflected.
Even though the superiority game went against a weaker opponent, Nättti is still worried about how the game looked with a draw. However, Latvia is clearly the weakest team in the tournament at the moment (no goals scored, 20 conceded).
– Against an opponent of that level, Finland should be able to dominate on the puck and set the rhythm of the game. Now it turned into quite a circus at times.
The problem, according to Nättinen, is that the offensive chains and defensive pairs are still not quite on the map of how they should play together.
– The timings don’t match and the players end up bumping into each other in the middle area, he gives an example.
Kudos to the captain’s example
Finland’s leading individuals have had a very difficult time in the tournament. Nättinen hopes that Jani Nyman, Lenny Hämeenaho and Konsta Helenius wouldn’t have to constantly push and force their playing.
– You can see from Nyman that he wants to score so badly. He shoots from everywhere, even from places you wouldn’t hear of. Today he was really close to the liberating goal, but the rejection took it away, Nättinen opens.
– Hämeenaho and Helenius really want to show off, but that’s exactly why they fell into frustrated solutions today. Both of their suspensions were looked at as possible major penalties and both were lucky that they ended up being minor (two minutes).
However, the captain has shown how to shoulder responsibility. Finnish attacker Jere Lassila (1+3) was involved in every goal of the Young Lions.
– I could have brought him up earlier, especially this game has to be brought up. He leads by example, and it’s no wonder when he has already been in previous national teams with the letter C on his chest. He knows what that role requires, Nättinen praises.
– Another great feature of Lassila is that he dares to challenge opponents with a slightly smaller size, both with his skills and in his struggles. Also mentally. I hope that the captain’s attitude catches on, because it hasn’t spread to everyone yet.
The Sweden match – a big opportunity
On New Year’s Eve, Finland will face Sweden in the last battle of the initial group. The host country of the tournament has been strong in its previous games and enjoys the support of its home crowd in Gothenburg.
On Friday evening, Sweden defeated Canada 2–0 in the top game of Group A.
Nättinen has her own experience of a similar situation. In the 2014 World Youth Championship, Finland met Sweden twice on its home ice – first in the preliminary group, then in the World Championship final. “Junior Kronorna” won the group stage 4–2, Finland won the final 3–2 in overtime.
Expert Nättinen emphasizes that the fight against Sweden is in many ways a great opportunity for every player on the team. Regardless of the result, Finland can gain confidence from the game for the continuation, which it would need especially in the playoffs.
– The Sweden matches alone are a special occasion for Finns. You have to take all the energy you can from that match and the home crowd. Many players will not experience a similar situation in their career anymore, he emphasizes.
– And think about the starting positions. Sweden comes confidently in front of its ecstatic home crowd and only imagines that it will skate over Finland, which played poorly. The entire victorious history of Finnish football has been built through such an underdog position. It’s an opportunity.
If Nättinen gets to advise the Young Lions players from his experience for that match, what does he want to say?
– It can create a feeling that “everything is possible now”. It wouldn’t work if the last game was, say, against Germany. I would like to emphasize the uniqueness of the match for them. That moment is good to understand in terms of the whole team’s future. Matches like that are still remembered in the old days. If that emotional charge can be experienced in that moment, then Finland will benefit from it, regardless of the result.
Urheilu closely follows the under-20 hockey world championships in the application and on its website. Moods are also conveyed on Urheilurutu and Urheiluradio. The match program can be found here.