Source: Latvian Ice Hockey Federation
The Latvian women’s national team, led by Finnish specialist Hannu Saintulas, defeated Spain in the decisive game with a score of 4:1 (1:0, 1:0, 2:1).
With 2-1 victory, Līga Miljone stood out on the Latvian national team, while Karīna Šilajāne and Aija Balode also scored goals.
Kristiāna Apsīte, who saved 26 of 27 opponents’ shots, guarded Latvia’s goal in this game as well.
Apsīte was recognized as the best player on the Latvian team in this game.
As a result, the Latvian national team took first place in the tournament and punch a ticket to one division higher – group B of the first division. Before this game, Spain had also won three games in a row.
The Latvian national team defeated Taiwan 3:2 in the first World Championship game, beat Iceland 6-0 in the second game, and defeated Mexico 8-0 in the third game.
Since this season, experienced women’s hockey specialist Hannu Saintula from Finland has taken over the leadership of the women’s hockey team. For most of his coaching career, Saintula worked as the head coach of the Finnish women’s national team, where he became a four-time world championship bronze medalist! Also, the 65-year-old Saintula managed the Chinese women’s national team and the teams of the Finnish top league – “Espoo Blues” and “Kiekko-Espoo”.
