The semifinal is played on Saturday in Ottawa, it is not clear yet who the opponent will be.
It could be the home nation Canada, who will be Sweden's opponent in the semifinal.
It would have been awesome, we lost to them before, so we'll do everything to beat them on their home ground, says David Edstrom to Viaplay after the match.
Goal disallowed
Top-seeded Sweden faced the lowest-ranked team in the second JVM group. But Latvia is no easy opponent, they beat Canada in the group stage with strong defensive and counter-attacking play.
The Junior Crowns were prepared for it. Sweden had 2–0 after the first period (Zeb Forsfjäll and Anton Wahlberg scorers), and David Edstrom made it 3–0 at the beginning of the second period.
He scored another goal a little later, but the goal was disallowed due to offside after a Latvian challenge.
After a nine-minute break, the match resumed, and then Latvia was on top. Top forward Eriks Mateiko, 198 centimeters tall, scored both 1–3 and 2–3.
We got too stressed, says Edstrom.
The period break saved the Swedes, who after the break went to play with the order to play calmly and simply.
"A bit too tight"
Even in the third period, Sweden started strongly, but the Latvian goalkeeper Linards Feldbergs made several fine saves.
In the end of the match, Latvia pressed towards the Swedish goal, and even took out their goalkeeper, but Sweden held on.
It was a good match. They made it hard for us and it got a bit too tight at the end. Their goalkeeper did a great job, says Otto Stenberg.
Even last year, it was a tight quarterfinal for Sweden, against Switzerland.
It's a bit of a habit we have. I'm satisfied with how we executed the last period, we did it in a smart way, says national team coach Niklas Hävelid to Viaplay.
The semifinal is played on Saturday. The opponent can be Slovakia, Finland or the home nation Canada.
We had a match against Canada (rehearsal) so we've felt each other out. They looked a bit weighed down by the importance of the moment, but will have big support behind them if they advance, says Hävelid.
Corrected: In an earlier version, incorrect information was provided about Sweden's potential opponents in the semifinal. Correct is that Canada is one of three teams Sweden can meet.
