Latvia’s last game of the qualifying round won’t be until May 16, but it’s already clear the end has come for the hometown team in the 2006 International Ice Hockey Federation World Championship in Rīga.

The United States beat Latvia 4-2 in a May 13 game in Arena Rīga. Despite the loss, the game was a more even match than Latvia’s disastrous showing against Canada two days earlier.

With Sergejs Naumovs in the goal for Latvia and Craig Anderson in for the United States, both sides went scoreless in the first period, according to a game summary posted on the official championship Web site, IHWC.net.

But 59 seconds into the second period, Ryan Malone, assisted by Mark Cullen and Dustin Brown, scored for the United States. Lauris Dārziņš answered at 2:12, scoring Latvia’s first goal. The United States took the lead again at 14:39 into the period, when Brown scored with help from Phil Kessel.

A minute into the third period, Aleksandrs Semjonovs, assisted by Kaspars Daugaviņš, took advantage of the United States being down by a player and tied the score at 2-2. However, the United States retaliated on two more power plays. At 2:27 into the period, Patrick O’Sullivan scored with help from Cullen. And at 9:50, Ryan Suter added another goal to make it 4-2.

Naumovs stopped 23 of 27 shots on goal from the United States, while Anderson stopped all but two of Latvia’s 24 shots.

U.S. players spent 24 minutes in the penalty box, compared to Latvia’s 22.

Latvia faces Norway on May 16. Like Latvia, Norway also is out of contention for the quarterfinals, according to IHWC.net.

It didn’t take long for Canada to get the upper hand against Latvia in a May 11 qualifying round contest during the International Ice Hockey Federation’s World Championship in Rīga.

The hometown team will now have a day off to lick its wounds after being mercilessly shut out by Canada, 11-0, according to a game summary posted on the official championship Web site, www.ihwc.net.

Canada’s Jason Williams, assisted by Brad Stuart, scored 5 minutes 41 seconds into the first period. A little more than three minutes later, Williams helped teammate Sidney Crosby up the score to 2-0. And at 14:41, Williams assisted Brad Boyes in adding another goal to make it 3-0. All three points came during power plays.

It was a rough period for Latvia goalkeeper Sergejs Naumovs, enough so that he was pulled with less than five minutes to go and replaced by Mārtiņš Raitums.

The switch didn’t help. At 17:43, on yet another power play, Canada made it 4-0 off the stick of Patrice Bergeron, assisted by Boyes and Crosby.

The second period was kinder to Latvia. Canada scored just once, at 5:58, when Brendan Shanahan teamed up with Williams and Mike Cammalleri on a power play.

Even with a score of 5-0, Canada was not about to stop and inflicted more pain on the hometown team during the third period. Just 24 seconds into the period Jeff Carter made it 6-0 with the assistance of Kyle Calder and Nick Schultz. Not even a minute later, with Latvia down by two players, Matt Pettinger, aided by Trevor Daley and Glen Metropolit, scored the seventh goal.

At 2:24 into the third period, Canada’s Mike Richards made it 8-0 with help from Stuart and Jeff Carter. At 5:59, Calder scored on a power play, putting his team ahead 9-0, and a half minute later returned, with help from Richards and Dan Hamhuis, to make it 10-0. At 10:17, Scott Hartnell took advantage of a power play and, with an assist from Metropolit, scored the last goal of the game.

Canada—heavily favored to win the championship—got off 40 shots on goal, while Latvia managed a respectable 27 against Canadian goalkeeper Marc Denis. Latvian players spent a total of 32 minutes in the penalty box, compared to 16 for the Canadians.

The game was delayed twice, according to a report on the Apollo portal, when Latvians fans unhappy with a referee’s call tossed various items onto the ice.

Latvia goes up against the United States on May 13 and faces Norway on May 16.

Latvia will move on to the qualifying round of the 2006 International Ice Hockey Federation World Championship after besting Slovenia 5-1 in a May 9 preliminary game in Rīga.

The victory also assures Latvia it will play in the elite division of the 2007 World Championship in Russia, according to the official championship Web site, www.ihwc.net.

The hometown team fell behind 5 minutes 35 seconds into the first period when Slovenia’s Mitja Sivic, assisted by Luka Zagar, got the puck past Latvia’s goalkeeper Sergejs Naumovs, according to a game summary posted on the Web site.

Going into this final game of the preliminary round, Latvia needed to at least tie Slovenia if it was to advance to the qualifying round. The team made good in the second period, scoring four times.

The first goal came 4:15 into the period, when Aleksandrs Semjonovs scored with help from Aleksandrs Ņiživijs and Miķelis Rēdlihs. The winning point was off the stick of Mārtiņš Cipulis, who scored at 8:20 with an assist from Jānis Sprukts. Aleksandrs Jerofejevs, assisted by Ņiživijs and Leonīds Tambijevs, made it 3-1 on a power play at 9:51 into the period. And then Tambijevs, helped by Ņiživijs, scored at 17:51 to put Latvia on top 4-1.

Latvia added its fifth and final point 10:51 into the third period. Herberts Vasiļjevs scored the goal, assisted by Atvars Tribuncovs and Aleksejs Širokovs.

Naumovs stopped all but one of Slovenia’s 18 shots on goal. Slovenia goalkeeper Robert Kristan faced 29 Latvian shots, stopping 24.

Slovenian players spent 24 minutes in the penalty box, with 12 of those belonging to defenseman David Rodman. Latvia earned 16 minutes of penalty time.

Latvia joins Finland and the Czech Republic in advancing from the Group A preliminary round to the qualifying round, with games scheduled from May 11-16 in Rīga.