There was a time when Finland was the pesky little hockey nation, the thorn in the side of the giants. Now they have to get used to being the giant. Latvia gave their all, but the hosts stood tall and took an important 3-1 win in their first game of the tournament. 
 
Tuomas Suoniemi scored once and added an assist for Finland. 
 
"I'm proud of every single player on the team," said Aatos Koivu. "Latvia played well, didn't give up and defended the middle of the ice well, it was hard to get inside.  Our goalie was great when we needed him."
 
It turned into a classic Finland v Latvia game in which Finland controlled the play but struggled to score, and the more they struggled the harder it seemed to get. On the other hand, Latvia played its usual brand of hockey, with speed, great individual skill, solid goaltending, and grit. 
 
"It was a fast-paced game, both teams played well. We just couldn’t capitalize on our chances, except in the third," Latvia captain Krists Retenais said.
 
Finland shook off their nervousness after the first shifts of the game aided by the fact that the hosts got their first power play at 11:15. 
 
At 11:18, they had a 1-0 lead in the game. 
 
Konsta Helenius won the faceoff to Aron Kiviharju who sent the puck straight to Emil Hemming on top of the left faceoff circle and he fired a rocket that beat Nils Maurins, the hardest working player in the game. 
 
"Naturally, It was nice to get a goal in the first game, scoring always gives more confidence," Hemming said. 
 
Latvia had their chances also on powerplay a minute later but couldn’t convert on their chances. 
 
In the second period, Finland took over the game – thanks to another two powerplay opportunities – outshooting Latvia 17-4, hit the post a few times and once got the puck all the way to the crease in front of an empty net – but not in. In fact, they had to work almost the full twenty minutes to beat Maurins a second time. 
 
With 3:54 remaining, Heikki Ruohonen re-directed Tuomas Suominen’s cross-ice pass into the net, doubling the Finnish lead. Daniel Nieminen also collected an assist.  
 
"The second period was tough due to the penalties but if we want to win, we have to be able to kill penalties, too, and move our feet," Retenais said. 
 
In the third period, Latvia looked to capitalize on their sporadic attacks, and on powerplay.  And they got their chance when Finland took a bench minor for too many players on the ice early in the period, but the Finns stayed calm and collected.
 
And then, with 7:49 remaining and after a Latvian mistake in their own zone, Suoniemi scored his first of the tournament.
 
But the Latvians didn't give up and with 90 seconds remaining, they pulled Maurins and sent out an extra attacker – and scored. Daniels Serkins sent a saucer pass from behind the net and Bruno Osmanis one-timed it in. 
 
The last 50 seconds were a mad scramble in the Finnish zone, but the hosts managed to keep the puck out of the net, and bag a 3-1 win. 
 
"We won as a team, all four lines played well but we need to be a little better in our own zone in the future," Hemming said.