Latavia posts a 2-1 win over Italy to improve to 3-0.
Andris Dzerins scored a pair of goals, including the game-winner with 1:19 remaining in regulation, to send Latvia to a 2-1 victory over Italy at the IIHF World Championship in Cologne, Germany on Tuesday.
With the victory, Latvia improves to 3-0-0 and regains sole possession of the top seed in Group A with nine points.
Italy took an early lead when Marco Insam scored 3:38 into the contest. Latvia tied the game later in the period on the strength of a power-play goal from Dzerins, and the score would remain 1-1 until Dzerins scored the winner with a one-time shot from the inner edge of the left circle.
Latvian goalie Elvis Merzlikins made 21 saves. In three starts, he’s stopped 76 of 78 shots for a 97.44 save percentage.