Sweden’s national team racked up two power plays and one shorthanded goal in just the first period on its way to a 4-1 victory May 5 that knocked Latvia out of contention in the International Ice Hockey Federation’s World Championship.

Latvia, which had advanced to the quarterfinals, will have to be satisfied that it was one of the top eight teams in this year’s championship, which is being hosted by the Czech Republic.

The Swedes outshot Latvia 38-24, according to official results posted on the IHWC.net Web site. In the second period alone, the Swedes tried to get the puck past Latvian goalkeeper Artūrs Irbe 16 times, while the Latvians only had seven shots on Sweden.

Latvia’s only goal came 1:11 into the third period during a power play. Viktors Ignatjevs, assisted by Aleksandrs Macijevksis, got the puck past Sweden’s goalkeeper, Henrik Lundqvist. The Swedes answered about eight minutes later with another shorthanded goal.

The last time Latvia reached the top eight was in 2000.

Four Latvian-Americans figured prominently as President Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga bestowed the Order of Three Stars—the nation’s highest civilian honor—on five individuals in a May 4 ceremony in Rīga Castle, the president’s official residence.

Honored were community activist, writer and poet Dr. Andris Ritmanis of Portland, Ore.; economics professor Juris George Vīksniņš of Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.; community activist Juris Valainis of Chicago, whose work has included organizing a Latvian-language radio program, and Dr. Zigfrīds Zadvinskis, a community activist from Michigan who helped establish the Latvian Center Gaŗezers. Also honored was Otto von Hapsburg, a descendant of the famed Hapsburg dynasty who spent many years supporting the concept of a united Europe, including within it Latvia.

Ritmanis was singled out for a number of accomplishments, including helping to maintain the Latvian exile community on the West Coast and for his role in organizing the West Coast Latvian Song Festival, according to a transcript of the president’s remarks. In Latvia, Vīķe-Freiberga said, Ritmanis perhaps is best known as the author of the lyrics to “Palīdzi, Dievs!,” a song popularized by singer Ieva Akuratere during Latvia’s growing nationalist opposition to Soviet rule during the late 1980s. His daughter, Brigita, composed the music. Ritmanis was honored with the title Officer of the Order of Three Stars.

Vīksniņš, the president said, is in part to be thanked for the stability of the national currency, the lats. The professor, a specialist in monetary politics, became a key consultant in Latvia’s efforts in economic reform. Vīksniņs, also a member of the Latvian Academy of Sciences, has in additional played a role in Latvia’s education reform, the president said. He, too, was named an Officer of the Order of Three Stars.

Valainis, Vīķe-Freiberga said, “is one of those community and cultural workers of whom the Latvian people can be proud, because he has spent his entire life dedicating himself to some community activity, not thinking about what he’ll get paid, but joining in with his own resources.” Among his major accomplishments has been the radio program for Chicago-area Latvians, an effort spanning more than 50 years. The program that currently airs on stations WSBC-AM and WCFJ-AM.

Zadvinskis, a doctor in Grand Rapids, Mich., has been involved in the Latvian community there and also has helped build Gaŗezers, where he served two years as head of its board of directors, according to the center’s Web site. The president noted his diplomacy skills in bringing together different elements of exile Latvian society to work for Gaŗezers.

The Order of Three Stars Commission named the five recipients already last year, but the honors were bestowed May 4 in commemoration of the day in 1990 when Latvia declared its independence from the Soviet Union.

The ceremony, however, also capped the commission’s work. Beginning this autumn, the Order of Three Stars and other honors will be bestowed by a new body. The parliament in March passed a new law governing medals and other honors, including the restored Viesturs military award.

With its 5-2 defeat of Austria, Latvia has assured itself a spot in the quarterfinals of the International Ice Hockey Federation World Championship underway in the Czech Republic. It will now be one of eight teams competing in the next round.

The May 3 game in Prague’s Sazka Arena saw Austria make the first goal while keeping Latvia scoreless through the first period, according to official results posted on the Web site IHWC.net. The Latvians came back strong in the second period, scoring three times while Austria added one more point, and then returning in the third period to score twice more.

Latvia’s goals in the second period came from the sticks of Sergejs Žoltoks (assisted in a power play by Arvīds Reķis), Aleksandrs Kerčs (assisted in a power play by Aigars Cipruss and Vjačeslavs Fanduļs), and Atvars Tribuncovs (assisted by Grigorijs Panteļejevs). In the third period, the Latvian goals were made by Reķis (assisted by Kerčs and Leonīds Tambijevs) and Aleksandrs Macijevskis (assisted by Cipruss and Žoltoks).

In all, the Latvians had 26 shots on goal, while Austria had 18. Goalkeeper for Latvia was Artūrs Irbe; for Austria, it was Reinhard Divis.

The statistics also show that Austria had much more time in the penalty box, 29 minutes, than did the Latvians, 8 minutes. But that’s because Austrian forward Markus Peintner got called for boarding and for game misconduct, earning him a total of 25 minutes of cooling-off time and forcing him to sit out most of the second period.

Quarterfinal play begins May 5 in Prague. The final, gold medal, game is scheduled May 9.