Today at 12:00 p.m. ET (USA), the Latvia men's ice hockey team hits the ice against Switzerland live from the Shayba Arena in Sochi, Russia for Group C action for the 2014 Winter Olympic Games. The game can be live streamed here.
With Sweden and the Czech Republic figuring to be tough-outs in the Olympic Games, Latvia and Switzerland both realize they need to seize this game if they are to enter the conversation about the class of Group C.
Under the tutelage of new Buffalo Sabres head coach Ted Nolan, Latvia earned its way to Sochi via the qualification tournament in February after suffering through a 12th place finish at the Vancouver Games in 2010.
Zemgus Girgensons, who plays for Nolan in Buffalo, is the only current NHL player on Latvia's roster, while it also boasts defenseman Sandis Ozolinsh, who played 875 NHL games but is currently in the KHL. Ozolinsh said he enjoys the whole Olympic experience.
"It's not just being on the ice for the game," Ozolinsh told the New York Times. "It's being off the ice, in the locker room, in practice. I'm really enjoying the whole process."
Switzerland feels good coming into the Olympics after losing in tight games to the United States and Canada in the 2010 Vancouver Games and then finishing with a silver medal at the 2013 World Championships. The roster has a dynamic mix of NHL talent along with national team veterans. One of the blueliners the team will turn to is Roman Josi of the Nashville Predators, who expects the team to play better with their higher expectations.
"After the World Championships, our expectations at the Olympics are obviously a little bit higher," Josi said via NHL.com. "We're still underdogs and we are still a small team [compared to the favorites], but we are not going to Sochi just to play there. Our goal is to make it through the qualifiers and then take it game-by-game and day-by-day in the medal round."
The team will turn to Jonas Hiller of the Anaheim Ducks in net, who is 25-9-4 with a 2.34 goals-against average and a .917 save percentage thus far this season.
Latvia and Switzerland will begin Group C play today when they take the ice against each other in Sochi.
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