Latvian champions crushed 8-0 in European cup group, two games left to recover

Mogo/RSU, the Latvian ice hockey champions, lost 8-0 to Belfast Giants of the UK on Friday in their first game of the Continental Cup second round in Rouen, France. Ģirts Ankipāns's side had won all three games of the first round in Lithuania in October, but this time they were clearly outplayed.

Second period decides it

The first period was fairly even, and Belfast only took the lead 14 seconds before the interval. The Giants settled the game in the second period, scoring three times between the 26th and 29th minutes and leading 6-0 at the second break. One of those goals came while they were short-handed.

Jānis Sidašs replaced Kārlis Mežsargs in goal for the third period, but Belfast scored twice more. JJ Piccinich scored a hat-trick for the Giants and Canadian Jordan Kawaguchi added two. Belfast outshot Mogo/RSU 25-15, while the Latvian side did not take a single penalty, according to the game sheet.

What comes next

Four teams are playing in the Rouen group, and the top two go through to the Continental Cup final. Mogo/RSU face GKS Katowice, the Polish runners-up, on Saturday at 16:00 Riga time and the hosts, Rouen Dragons, on Sunday at 19:00.

After an eight-goal defeat, the Latvian club need not only wins but also a better goal difference, which could decide the standings if several teams finish level on points.

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