Latvia took the lead and finished the first period one goal ahead and when they added a second, an upset seemed on the cards.
But the Americans battled back by scoring next, only for Latvia to reclaim a two-goal buffer.
After that however, the Americans rallied again, scoring four unanswered goals to claim a 5:3 win. With only three minutes remaining on the clock, the scores remained locked at 3:3 but with ruthless efficiency the USA turned up the heat and Andrew Copp seized the initiative to skate the length of the ice and find the net.
FINAL: Latvia had a pair of two-goal leads extinguished by @usahockey today. Andrew Copp picked up the GWG for the USA. #IIHFWorlds pic.twitter.com/3er0WhyLMy
— IIHF (@IIHFHockey) May 13, 2017
You can read a full game report and see the stats at the official IIHF website HERE.
But as with the game against Sweden, the fact that the unfancied Latvian team again showed itself the equal of tournament favorites will provide some consolation - it's a measure of how far the team has come that they can feel genuinely disappointed about losing to the
USA.
You can watch the highlights below... if you can bear it!
