Canada had no trouble shaking the backbone of Latvia in Friday’s IIHF Men’s World Championship opener. In confidence, Samuel Montembeault signed a 6-0 shutout in Riga.
In front of a crowd obviously biased towards their opponents, the Canadians looked to strike early to silence the crowd. However, the Latvian fans backed their favorites every time they broke through in attack.
However, it never paid off when it came to winning points. Lawson Crouse and Scott Laughton took turns scoring in the first five minutes of the opening jab. Goalkeeper Ivars Punnenovs was immediately sent to the shower and Arturs Silovs took his place.
The man, who has played for the Trois-Rivières Lions and Vancouver Canucks for the past two seasons, performed better than his counterpart but still gave up four times on 25 shots.
Quebecers Joe Veleno and Samuel Blais and MacKenzie Weegar and Jack McBain scored. Young Adam Fantilli, who will be drafted early in this year’s National Hockey League, provided an assist on Canada’s last goal.
Montembeault blocked 23 shots. Defenseman Justin Barron, also from the Habs, spent 13:06 on the ice, becoming one of six Maple Leaf players not to score.
Canada returns to action against Slovenia on Sunday.
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