Switzerland recorded its second victory against Latvia and continued its perfect start to the World Championship
The Swiss national ice hockey team continued its perfect start at the 2026 Ice Hockey World Championship with a 4:2 victory against Latvia at the Swiss Life Arena in Zürich. The tournament host broke down a stubborn opponent in the second and third periods, after the first period ended without goals, and according to the official IIHF summary, claimed its second victory in two days. The preliminary-round Group A match was played on 16 May 2026, started at 20:20 and ended at 22:36, in front of 10,000 spectators. Switzerland recorded a total of 43 shots on goal, while Latvia finished with 23 shots, which says enough about the balance of power, but not about how long the match remained open. Latvian goaltender Kristers Gudļevskis, according to the official match statistics, saved 39 shots and was the main reason why the host had to patiently search for a path to victory.
The 4:2 victory confirmed Switzerland’s excellent start to the championship, which is being played in Switzerland, in Zürich and Fribourg, from 15 to 31 May 2026. After defeating the United States of America 3:1 a day earlier, head coach Jan Cadieux’s team again took three points in regulation time. According to the standings published on the official competition website on 17 May 2026, Switzerland had six points and a goal difference of 7:3 after two rounds, the same as Finland, which was ahead of it in Group A because of a better goal difference. Latvia, after its first match at the tournament, remained without points, but against the host showed enough discipline and resistance that the defeat was not a simple story of Swiss domination. In a competition format in which the four best national teams from each group advance to the quarter-finals, every point in the early stage can be important for the standings, the crossover and the later path through the knockout stage.
Gudļevskis kept Latvia in the game for a long time
Most of the match was marked by Swiss initiative and an exceptionally busy Latvian goaltender. In its match report, the IIHF particularly highlighted Gudļevskis, who, at his eighth World Championship, resisted the host’s pressure for a long time. Switzerland had 12 shots on goal in the first period, while Latvia had five, but the score did not change. Nino Niederreiter was close to scoring twice, and his chance near the end of the period was especially dangerous, when the puck, after a play behind the goal, ended up on the goal frame. Roman Josi also forced Gudļevskis into an important save during a rush, while at the opposite end Sandro Aeschlimann had to react after a drive by Mārtiņš Dzierkals.
According to the official game sheet, Switzerland won the overall shots battle 43:23, and the difference was particularly pronounced in the second period, in which the host had 22 shots and Latvia only six. Such pressure did not immediately bring a goal because Gudļevskis, with help from the defence, withstood the first wave of Swiss attacks. The IIHF states that young Latvian defenceman Alberts Smits at one point blocked a shot by Timo Meier and helped his goaltender during a period when it seemed that a goal was only a matter of time. Latvia was mostly forced to defend in its own zone during that part, but its organisation and patience kept the match in balance on the scoreboard. For Switzerland, that meant it had to maintain its rhythm without unnecessary nervousness, especially because it was playing in front of its home crowd and with the role of favourite.
Meier opened the match, Balcers answered quickly
Switzerland broke Latvia’s resistance in the 31st minute. According to the official game sheet, Timo Meier scored for 1:0 at 30:10, after a pass from Nico Hischier, in a play in which the Swiss attack quickly used the space and finally found a gap in the Latvian block. It was a goal that came after a long period of home domination, but it did not immediately decide the match. Latvia answered already at 31:45, when Rūdolfs Balcers scored for 1:1 after assists from Deniss Smirnovs and Sandis Vilmanis. The IIHF described that response as a well-executed play in which Latvia, although under pressure, showed that it could punish every Swiss lapse.
That quick Latvian comeback was an important psychological moment in the match. Switzerland had more of the puck, more shots and more time in attack, but found itself in a situation in which it had to rebuild its lead. Late in the second period, the host made use of the power play. Damien Riat scored at 37:18 for 2:1, according to the game sheet after passes from Sven Andrighetto and Denis Malgin, following a precise combination that stretched the Latvian defence. That goal was one of the key moments of the match because it restored Switzerland’s control on the scoreboard before the second intermission. Latvia paid the price for the penalty to Ralfs Freibergs, who was punished for tripping, and the Swiss power play proved patient enough to punish such a mistake.
Kukan and Riat brought a calmer finish for the host
The third period brought a resolution in which Switzerland confirmed its lead, but did not completely avoid uncertainty. Dean Kukan made it 3:1 at 40:59 after assists from Fabrice Marti and Timo Meier. That goal was very important because it came less than a minute after the start of the final period, at a moment when Latvia could still count on a comeback with one good attack. Switzerland thereby gained room for a more controlled game, while Latvia had to take more risks and open up. Even then, however, the match did not turn into a one-sided finish because the Latvian team continued to look for chances through quick breakouts and the power play.
Damien Riat scored his second goal of the match at 52:13 and increased the lead to 4:1, after passes from Simon Knak and Dean Kukan. According to the IIHF report, Kukan was involved in the play that led to Riat’s second goal, while Knak enabled the finish that practically decided the winner with a precise pass. Riat finished the match with two goals, Kukan with a goal and an assist, and Meier with a goal and an assist, showing the breadth of Switzerland’s attacking contribution. Latvia nevertheless managed to reduce the deficit in the final stages. Balcers, 14 seconds before the end, at 59:46, set the final score at 4:2 with his second goal of the match, after assists from Vilmanis and Smirnovs, but that goal could no longer change the outcome.
The statistics confirmed Swiss control, but also Latvian resilience
The official game sheet shows that Switzerland was more dominant in almost all main indicators. The host had 43 shots on goal, Latvia 23, and Switzerland played a particularly strong second period, in which the shot ratio was 22:6. On the power play, both teams used one opportunity each: Switzerland scored from five minutes and eight seconds of power-play time, while Latvia scored from five minutes and 17 seconds with the man advantage. That ratio shows that special situations were not the only source of the difference, but that Switzerland built the result through constant pressure, a greater number of attacks and better control of the neutral zone. Latvia, on the other hand, was efficient in rare attacking periods and stayed in the match longer than could be concluded from the number of shots alone.
Sandro Aeschlimann, according to the game sheet, saved 21 of 23 shots and recorded the victory in his first World Championship appearance since 2022, as the IIHF states. His saves were not as numerous as Gudļevskis’s, but they were important in moments when Latvia threatened from isolated but dangerous situations. The save against Artūrs Andžāns near the end of the second period stood out in particular, which the IIHF singled out in its report as a play that gained additional value after Kukan scored for 3:1 at the beginning of the third period. Despite the defeat, Gudļevskis was one of the most prominent figures of the match. Latvian defenceman Oskars Batņa, according to the IIHF, praised his experience, calmness and confidence, stressing that the goaltender knows his qualities well.
Statements by Swiss players emphasised battling spirit and patience
After the match, Swiss players highlighted battling spirit as the key to victory. Simon Knak told the IIHF that intensity in duels was decisive and that Switzerland wanted the puck all over the ice, and in the end found a way to score important goals. That statement neatly sums up the Swiss approach: the host did not break Latvia with one quick surge, but by repeating pressure, winning loose pucks and persisting in the attacking zone. Janis Moser also emphasised to the IIHF that the result was the most important thing and that Switzerland mostly had control of the match. He added that matches against such opponents are always demanding and that it is crucial to play one’s own game for all 60 minutes.
Those statements are important because Switzerland at this tournament carries not only a results goal, but also the additional weight of being the host. Playing in Zürich brings strong support, but also greater expectations, especially after the opening victory over the USA. Against Latvia, patience was precisely one of the signs of maturity of the home team. The first period without goals and the quick Latvian response after Meier’s goal could have taken the match in a more nervous direction, but Switzerland managed to maintain its structure. Head coach Jan Cadieux received contributions from several lines, and that is particularly important in a tournament format because the preliminary-round schedule requires squad depth, good distribution of minutes and stability in special situations.
Group A remains demanding, matches with Germany follow
According to the official IIHF schedule, both national teams face Germany after this encounter. Latvia plays Germany on 17 May 2026 at 20:20 in the Swiss Life Arena, while Switzerland plays the German-Swiss duel on 18 May 2026 at 20:20 at the same venue. That means Latvia does not have much time to recover after a difficult match in which it spent most of the evening under pressure. For Latvia, the match with Germany is an opportunity to join the battle for the places that lead to the quarter-finals, especially because after the defeat to Switzerland it remained on zero points. In a group that also includes Finland, the USA, Austria, Great Britain and Hungary, every direct duel with competitors from the middle of the standings can be decisive.
Switzerland, on the other hand, has a better starting position after two victories, but also enough reason for caution. According to the tournament rules cited by the IIHF, a victory in regulation time brings three points, and the four best national teams from each group advance to the quarter-finals, where the crossover with the other group is played. Early points therefore do not only mean a safer path toward the knockout stage, but can also decide the opponent in the quarter-finals. Against Latvia, Switzerland showed that it can control a match in which the opponent defends deep and relies on an in-form goaltender, which is an important message for the continuation of the tournament. Latvia, although defeated, received confirmation that it can remain competitive even against a national team playing at home, but for its first points it will have to reduce the number of shots allowed and find longer periods of possession in the attacking zone.
What the victory means for the continuation of the tournament
With the 4:2 victory, Switzerland did what was expected of the host, but the way in which it got there gives broader insight into its current state. The team was active in attack, received production from key forwards and maintained calm after Latvia quickly equalised. Particularly important is the fact that Switzerland’s second period produced a large number of shots and two goals, because such periods of pressure are often decisive in short-format tournaments. The host also showed that it has enough solutions for closed matches, including goals at five-on-five and on the power play. If it carries that level of pressure into the rest of the group, Switzerland will have a realistic basis for fighting for a high placing in Group A.
Latvia can draw several clear conclusions from the defeat. Gudļevskis confirmed that he can carry the team and keep it in the game against an extremely attacking opponent, Balcers showed finishing quality with two goals, and Vilmanis and Smirnovs were important in creating Latvia’s goals. But the official shot statistics and long periods of Swiss control show a problem that Latvia will have to solve already in the next matches. Without longer possession and a greater number of attacks, it is difficult to expect stable point-winning against opponents who can constantly press. In Zürich, Latvia delayed the Swiss celebration for a long time, but in the end the host justified the role of favourite and remained perfect after its first two appearances.
Sources: - IIHF – official match report Switzerland - Latvia and statements from participants (link) - IIHF – official schedule, results and standings of the 2026 World Championship (link) - IIHF – official match summary, scorers, goaltenders and statistics (link) - IIHF – competition format and scoring rules at the 2026 World Championship (link)