Latvia’s men’s national hockey team concluded its group play at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina d’Ampezzo with a 2-4 loss to Denmark on Sunday, February 15th. The defeat means Latvia finished fourth in Group C with one win in three games, according to reports from LSM.lv and Delfi.lv.
The game began poorly for Latvia, with Denmark’s Niks Olesen scoring just 23 seconds into the first period. Denmark extended their lead before the end of the first period, taking a 2-0 advantage. Despite a stronger push from Latvia in the second period, they were unable to close the gap and Denmark added another goal to lead 3-0.
Kristaps Zīle and Eduards Tralmaks scored for Latvia, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the early deficit. Denmark’s Markus Lauridsen and Nikolaj Ehlers too found the back of the net. Latvia managed 35 shots on goal, even as Denmark recorded 21, as reported by LSM.lv.
Latvia’s opponent in the playoff round has yet to be determined. The Olympic tournament includes 12 national teams divided into three groups. The top team from each group, along with one second-place team, automatically advances to the quarter-finals. The remaining eight teams will compete for the final four spots, according to LSM.lv.
Prior to Sunday’s match, Denmark had suffered a 3-6 loss to the United States in their second Group C game, as noted by NRA.lv. Latvia had been hoping for a win to secure second place in the group, but the loss to Denmark dashed those hopes.
The Latvian national team’s performance was also followed by President Edgars Rinkēvičs, who watched the game while traveling to Riga, according to NRA.lv.
