Canada outlasts Latvia in another nailbiting World Juniors extra-time classic

Minneapolis, Minn.- One year to the day that Latvia stunned Canada in an eight-round shootout to collect its first win against the Maple Leaf in IIHF World Junior Championship history, the two nations battled to another nailbiting classic.

2025 WHL Champion Gavin McKenna had two assists and players with WHL experience combined for four points in a narrow 2-1 overtime win over the upstart Eastern European squad.

Sam O’Reilly (London Knights / OHL) and Latvian netminder Nils Maurins were named Player of the Game for their respective countries, while former Brampton Steelheads netminder Jack Ivankovic stopped 26 of 27 shots.

While both teams swirled through the opposing zone in search of the game-opening strike, it wouldn’t come until Canada was awarded a five-minute penalty after Latvian forward Martins Klaucans was dinged for a head shot to Calgary Flames defenceman Zayne Parekh (Saginaw Spirit / OHL).

Early in the long man-advantage, a pair of WHL grads linked up to get Canada on the board.

2025 WHL Player of the Year and former Medicine Hat Tiger Gavin McKenna wound to the high slot before dishing back to former Victoria Royals centreman Cole Reschny (another Flames first-round selection).

The Macklin, Sask. product followed back to the slot to wrister a long shot through traffic and past Maurins, while Pittsburgh Penguins defender Harrison Brunicke (Kamloops Blazers / Calgary, Alta.) earned the secondary assist.

GOAL RESCHNY!

The @victoriaroyals product gets Canada on the board on Day Two of the #WorldJuniors. pic.twitter.com/GAKoZ2FaoR

— Western Hockey League (@TheWHL) December 27, 2025

But Canada was unable to build on the lead after taking a double-minor of their own, and held a narrow 1-0 lead and 25-18 advantage in shots into the decisive final frame.

The clock continued to tick down with neither team either to find twine.

McKenna rang another shot off the crossbar with just over four minutes to go, while Tij Iginla (Kelowna Rockets / Lake Country, B.C.) had a glorious chance on the doorstep swept away by Maurins.

Finally, in an eerily similar moment to last year’s tournament, Latvia levelled the game with less than two minutes remaining in regulation when a wide-open Rudolfs Berzkalns evaded his checker and kicked the puck to his stick and into a yawning cage.

The rollercoaster final period took another strange turn when Latvia fired the puck out of the defensive zone and over the glass to send Canada to the powerplay with under a minute to go- though Antons Macijevskis would soak two massive shot blocks in the dying seconds to ensure both teams would earn a point and head to overtime.

That’s where Michael Hage buried a one-timer from McKenna to let the Canadian fans exhale and then rise to their feet in celebration.

Canada (1-1-0-0) is off on December 28 before returning to round-robin action against Denmark on December 29 at 1:30 p.m. MST.

NOTES

Former Brandon Wheat Kings defender scored an insurance marker for Slovakia in a 4-1 win over Germany… Saskatoon Blades rookie Dustin Willhoft pulled off a highlight-reel tally for Germany’s lone goal, with the assist going to his Blades teammate and Edmonton Oilers prospect David Lewandowski.