Krastenbergs logs heavy power-play minutes in Czechia, Lapinskis' team routs rivals 5:1 in Switzerland, Livšics in Alps League brawl
Latvian ice hockey players took the ice across several European and Asian leagues, with Dāvids Livšics standing out for a fight during a winning Alps League match.
Latvian hockey players featured in recent games across the Czech, Swiss, Swedish, Alps, Kazakh, Finnish and Norwegian leagues.
In Czechia, Prague's Sparta, missing injured forward Mārtiņš Dzierkals, defeated Česke Budejovice 4:2 on the road. Renārs Krastenbergs played nearly 13 minutes, most of it on the power play, and blocked one shot.
In Switzerland, Langnau's Tigers routed Ambri-Piotta 5:1 away from home. Oskars Lapinskis logged just over 10 minutes of ice time, took two shots, and finished with a neutral plus-minus rating.
In Sweden, HV71 — the club represented by Markuss Komuls — beat Orebro in overtime, though Komuls himself sat out for the first time this season.
Alps League
In an Alps League matchup featuring two Latvian-stocked teams, Kitzbuhel beat Vipiteno 8:3. Dāvids Livšics set up a goal with an assist but was ejected for the rest of the game after taking part in a major brawl midway through the match, still finishing with a positive plus-minus. Three players in total were ejected from that fight, while another received a five-minute penalty. On the losing side, Kristers Ansons posted a positive rating along with two penalty minutes.
In another Alps League game, Merano beat Salzburg's reserve team 2:1 in a shootout. For the winners, Kristiāns Utnāns took one shot, while home player Antons Macijevskis fired seven shots and took two penalty minutes, both finishing with a negative rating; Edvīns Bērziņš added four shots.
Elsewhere
In Kazakhstan, Karaganda's Saryarka, featuring Edgars Siksna, thrashed Pavlodar's Yertis 8:0, though the Latvian defenseman did not register a point. In Finland's second-tier league, Viktors Kurbaks helped KeuPa win 5:2 on the road against Kettera, finishing with a positive rating. In Norway, Nidaros came from two goals down to beat Storhamar 3:2 at home, with Leonards Rimjāns posting a positive rating, while Lillehammer fell 2:3 to Frisk Asker, with Emīls Šķeltiņš recording a neutral rating.
