End comes for Latvia on 4-2 loss to U.S. hockey

Andris Straumanis | 

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.

Andris Straumanis is a special correspondent for and a co-founder of Latvians Online. From 2000–2012 he was editor of the website.

Novel shows promise for Latvian-Canadian writer

Daina Grosa | 

A Visitor from Latvia

How many times have you heard the phrase “the younger generation just doesn’t read Latvian books anymore” said about those now in their 30s, 40s and 50s? It’s true—but why? Is it simply because our Latvian is not as competent as that of the older folks or is the problem subject matter? I would like to think it’s a combination of both.

Latvian books (those written outside Latvia, anyway) are often autobiographical memoirs or novels loosely based on the author’s own experiences. These are informative but difficult to relate to if you have not been through those times yourself. Of course there are also books written by contemporary Latvian authors living in Latvia, but the style of writing is quite different to what people living outside Latvia are used to. The free association and dream sequence-style musings of many modern Latvian writers are all well and good from a creative point of view, but nothing beats a solid story line with believable characters.

Sandra Upeslācis has this and more in her first novel, A Visitor from Latvia. The book is written in English, so no one has the excuse of finding it difficult to read. The plot contains many elements that Latvian readers can relate to. Set in Toronto, many contemporary issues are raised: the ongoing traditions of the Latvian community that still continue today, juxtaposed with the life and career of the next generation in their homeland, Canada. Throw into this setting a visitor from the old “homeland”—the now independent Latvia—and you have the ingredients for an interesting mix of human interaction. This scenario is also easily transposable to any other Latvian setting outside Latvia. The story could just as well be set in Sydney in Australia or Los Angeles in the United States. The intergenerational attitudes and issues, as well as the differences between Latvians from Latvia and those who have lived most of their lives outside Latvia, are similar all over the world.

Other usually taboo subjects in more or less classical Latvian literature such as love, sex and interethnic relationships are also covered, making for quite scintillating reading. The main character, Klāra, is a feisty, independent Latvian-Canadian whose high-powered, career-oriented life is the epitome of what everyone seems to strive for these days. She comes from a traditional Latvian background, where mum is the homemaker and dad the retired breadwinner, and is one of three children in the family. You can probably start seeing the similarities with your own family already. The relative from the homeland, Andrejs, is also the traditional guest from Latvia—everyone has had at least one such over the last 15 years. Glimpses of his life back in Latvia show that he, too, is one of the younger generation with trials and tribulations that await him on his return.

The interaction between the main characters—mainly Klāra with her family, her new love Philippe and her cousin Andrejs—is quite well developed. The racy pace make this book compelling reading. Let’s hope Upeslācis’ creative juices continue to flow and we can look forward to more fresh and perceptive exposes of the lives of Latvians today, wherever the setting may be.

Details

A Visitor from Latvia

Sandra Upeslācis

Toronto:  Town Press,  2004

ISBN 0973660104

Where to buy

Purchase A Visitor from Latvia from Amazon.com.

Note: Latvians Online receives a commission on purchases.

Daina Gross is editor of Latvians Online. An Australian-Latvian she is also a migration researcher at the University of Latvia, PhD from the University of Sussex, formerly a member of the board of the World Federation of Free Latvians, author and translator/ editor/ proofreader from Latvian into English of an eclectic mix of publications of different genres.

Canada stomps on Latvian hockey, 11-0

Andris Straumanis | 

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.

Andris Straumanis is a special correspondent for and a co-founder of Latvians Online. From 2000–2012 he was editor of the website.