Good organization and discipline under Latvia's Canadian head coach Bob Hartley allowed the home team to record their historic victory.
Miks Indrašis scored the first goal for Latvia at the end of the first period, then in the second period Oskars Batņa scored another for a 2:0 lead that the hosts defended until the end, thanks not least to the efforts of goaltender Matīss Kivlenieks who remained unbeaten and was recognized as the best player from the home side.
Next up for the hosts will be Kazakhstan on Saturday, and a great chance to make it two wins from two to continue a perfect start to the tournament.
In the other matches on Friday the Russian team beat the Czech Republic 4:3, Germany swept past Italy 9:4, and Slovakia downed Belarus 5:2.
For more info about the tournament, see our earlier preview feature.
