Murnieks, Latvia upset USA at U18 worlds; Canada eliminated

Micheline Veluvolu/IIHF

Olivers Murnieks and Team Latvia pulled off a historic upset on a wild day at the IIHF U18 Men's World Championship.

The Latvians defeated heavily favoured Team USA 5-2 in quarterfinal play, advancing the underdogs into Friday's semifinals against host Slovakia.

Murnieks had two assists in the victory. He also registered two shots while playing a team high 23:41.

The Saint John Sea Dogs forward, who missed most of the second half with injuries, now has a goal and five assists in five games at the tournament. His strong showing should give his draft stock a bit of a boost.

"He had a pair of assists today and has legitimately been one of the most impactful players, regardless of team," writes Steven Ellis in Daily Faceoff. "He makes so many smart passes, and he’s a wizard in the faceoff dot, too. Murnieks deserves love for his two-way game, and he’s a play-driver on a team like Latvia. Without him, the Latvians would have struggled to even make the playoffs."

Sea Dogs prospect Jamie Glance was named the United States' player of the game. He had five shots and was a -1 in 15:43 of ice time.

Glance finishes the tournament with a goal and four assists in five games.

The United States outshot Latvia 45-16 in the game – but the Latvians never trailed. Their final two goals were empty netters.

This is the first time Latvia has defeated the Americans at the under-18 level. As Canadians know, Latvia is no stranger to upsets in international junior hockey.

Team Canada, meanwhile, was also defeated in the quarterfinals on Wednesday, falling 4-2 to Sweden. Fredericton's Tynan Lawrence had an assist in the loss.

Alexis Joseph and Cameron Chartrand remained out of the lineup. Joseph, who is a year younger than most of the roster, appeared in just two games before being scratched for the remainder of the tournament. Chartrand did not play in any games.

Sweden will play Czechia in the other semifinal. Czechia defeated Finland to advance.

Germany, meanwhile, has been relegated from the top division following a 4-3 loss to Norway in the relegation game. They'll be replaced by Switzerland at the 2027 event.