World Junior Championship roundup: Latvia defeats Germany, advances to quarterfinals

Monday is the fifth day of the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship, which will be held in Ottawa.

Day 5 games:

Latvia 4, Germany 3 (OT) — Eriks Mateiko (Washington Capitals) scored with 1:37 left in overtime at the Canadian Tire Center to send Latvia into the quarterfinal round.

Mateiko skated down the left wing and scored on a snap shot from the spot to give Latvia (0-2-0-1) two wins at the World Juniors for the first time in the country’s history. Latvia upset Canada 3-2 in a penalty shootout on Friday.

Olivers Murnieks (2026 draft eligible) had a goal and two assists, Bruno Osmanis (2025 draft eligible), a W-rated skater on NHL Central Scouting’s initial players to watch list, had a goal and an assist, and Linards Feldbergs (2025-draft-eligible) ) made 36 saves for Latvia.

Julius Sumpf (2025 draft eligible), a W-rated skater on NHL Central Scouting’s players to watch list, had two assists and Linus Vieillard (2025 draft eligible) made 16 saves for Germany, which finishes last in Group A.

Simon Seidl (2025 draft eligible) gave Germany a 1-0 lead 19 seconds into the first period. Edwin Tropmann (2025 draft eligible) pushed it to 2-0 with a power-play goal 8:40 into the second period.

Mateiko cut the lead to 2-1 with a goal 32 seconds later at 9:12.

Osmanis tied Latvia at 2-2 with a snap shot from the high slot on a broken play at 6:55 of the third period.

Germany (0-0-1-3) needed to win the game in regulation to qualify for the quarterfinals and pulled its goalkeeper during a power play late in the game.

But Murnieks, a 16-year-old center, scored a shorthanded, empty-net goal after winning a defensive zone face-off at 17:16 of the third to give Latvia a 3-2 lead.

David Lewandowski (2025 draft eligible), a C-rated skater on Central Scouting’s players to watch list, made it 3-3 on a one-timer from the right face-off circle during a 6-on-4 advantage at . 17:36.

Latvia will next play in the quarter-finals on January 2.