Photo: Bildbyrån
It won’t be easy to beat Latvia.
A Swedish concern has arisen before the Junior Crowns quarter-final in the JVM.
– They beat Canada and they can be tricky, says national team captain Magnus Hävelid to Expressen.
Sweden has started the JVM in the best possible way with four straight wins. First, Slovakia was defeated 5-2, then Kazakhstan was crushed 8-1 and Switzerland was finally beaten 7-5 after an unnecessarily dramatic third period. In the group final against the Czech Republic, the Swedish Junior crowns impressed. They won 4-2 on New Year’s Eve, becoming the only team in the tournament not to drop a point.
The junior crowns have received criticism
Despite Sweden having really done the job so far, not everyone was happy after the team’s third win, the one against Switzerland. Viaplay expert Erik Granqvist directed sharp criticism at the youngsters who took several unnecessary expulsions, especially in the final stages, and thus invited the opponents into the match. They conceded three goals in a numerical disadvantage.
– There is a lack of discipline in the third period. The story continues: Department unnecessary deportations. That is foolhardy, he said on the broadcast.
READ MORE: Viaplay expert Erik Granqvist’s sharp criticism of the Junior crowns
However, the only thing that counts is winning, and the Junior crowns have really succeeded in that. Since they won their group, they face what on paper looks like the easiest opposition in the quarter-finals (to be played on Thursday evening at 18.00 Swedish time). But Latvia are not bad by any means, quite the opposite. They actually defeated Canada on penalties in the opening round.
– They beat Canada, so anything can happen. But we’re going to go out and play our game and I think we’ll beat them. The expectation is that we will take gold. Latvia is only an intermediate goal, they say Herman Träff19, to Expressen.
Magnus Hävelid about Latvia
The national team captain Magnus Hävelid certainly also believes that Sweden will advance to the semi-finals, but a certain concern has probably crept into him. Partly because Latvia won against the big nation Canada, partly because they are underdogs who play without pressure.
– They have done fantastically well, they beat Canada and they can be tricky. They know they need to play a very good defensive game, which they have done so far. And they can come in with a bit of an “everything to win” attitude. We will come well rested and work with a high puck tempo, he says to the evening newspaper.
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Sweden has continued to practice a lot on special teams. They have been the best of all national teams in the power play so far during the tournament, but not nearly as successful in the box play. There the Junior crowns have a small weakness.
– We are rubbing shoulders… I don’t think you should overanalyze it too much. But we always want to be a little better. And I know that assistant coach (Nicklas) Grossmann will look into that too. But then we have a fanatically good confidence in our power play. Overall, now you know, when we step into the quarter-finals, that you need to minimize expulsions against yourself. We need to play smart, says Hävelid.
It will be very fun to see Sweden’s meeting with Latvia. Of course, the Junior crowns should win, but it could be a tougher match than many think. How do you think it will go? Feel free to comment! Hello Sweden!
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