You could almost feel a collective sigh of relief across the country as Michael Hage wired a pass from Gavin McKenna to lift Canada past Latvia 2-1 in overtime.
Clinging to a 1-0 lead and struggling to get that insurance marker, Rudolfs Berzkalns scored with 1:58 left in the third period for Latvia, and you couldn't help but think, "Here we go again."
It was exactly a year ago in Ottawa that Canada went the distance against Latvia and left stunned following a 3-2 shootout loss.
Much like their opener against Czechia, Canada knew they couldn't take their opponent for granted, and Latvia made sure Canada knew they were not going to roll over easily.
After it took some time to get things clicking offensively, a questionable five-minute penalty against Latvia opened the door for Canada to take an early lead.
Cole Reschny had the other goal in the win as Canada struggled to replicate the form from a seven-goal effort in their first game.
Here is a look at other notable takeaways from a gutsy win over Latvia.
Another close call
It appears that the days of Canada rattling off a double-digit victory over Latvia are a thing of the past.
Canada had dominated Latvia in the four matchups against them prior to the shootout loss last tournament. In those four games, Canada outscored Latvia 41-4, but in their last two matchups, the games have been decided by a single goal.
The Canadians had chances to score against Latvia with 38 shots on goal. You could see, though, that Latvia didn't lack belief in pulling off another upset in this game.
"A big relief off the shoulders," McKenna told reporters after finishing the game with two assists.
Beating Latvia 2-1 in overtime isn't the type of result expected from this group, but you can believe some players still had memories of that 2024 loss in their heads.
It was also something Latvia was looking to use as a reminder of what they are capable of.
"We didn't come here to lose," Latvian defenceman Alberts Smits told reporters after the overtime loss. "We think we came here to win every game and fight for the win in every game. So we're a little bit frustrated."
Latvia did not provide much time and space for Canada to operate in the offensive zone.
There was not a lot of open ice for Canada to attack off the rush and they were guilty of trying to make the extra pass.
"You need to see what you have," head coach Artis Abols said about their approach to playing Canada. "You can't play that open hockey with a speedy and skillful team like Canada. We want to be aggressive. But you know, if you have a gun with 100 bullets, you can shoot all over. But if you have a gun with 10 bullets, you need to be smart."
While losing is not how Latvia wanted to open the world juniors, it was not a favourable result for Canada either.
Failing to secure three points opens the door for Finland to move into the top spot in Group B. Now the pressure is on Canada to secure a regulation win over Denmark, and Finland to avoid a tougher quarterfinals opponent, which could be Team USA or Sweden if Canada finishes in third.
It certainly takes time for teams to find their stride but given the talent and expectations on this Canadian squad, they should not be sweating out a game against Latvia.
Hage would not be denied
Sometimes the hockey gods are willing to reward those who have had some luck go against them.
Hage looked to be in a prime spot to ice the game for Canada late in the third period as he wired a shot past Nils Maurins, but hit it flush off the crossbar.
Eventually, Latvia was able to get the equalizer but with Canada taking a late power play from the third period into overtime, it was the Montreal Canadiens prospect who played the hero.
With Canada looking to break through with the 4-on-3 advantage, Hage had a pass intended for Cole Reschny go off the skate of a Latvian defender, which then opened up space for McKenna to feed the Michigan forward for the game-winner.
Hage finished with a team-high six shots on goal and sits atop the tournament lead with three points through two games. One area of his game that will need improvement is his work in the faceoff dot, as he was 35 per cent against Latvia and 16.6 per cent in the opener.
Redemption for Ivankovic
One player who was looking for a better outing against Latvia, Jack Ivankovic was the goaltender in the net in the upset loss a year ago.
After Carter George got the nod against Czechia and allowed five goals in the win, Ivankovic got the chance to show the coaching staff what he could do.
While Latvia doesn't possess the firepower that Czechia does, Ivankovic did not have an easy assignment with his team playing on the second half of a back-to-back.
Markuss Sieradzkis looked to have opened the scoring in the first period, but the goal was called back by a clear kicking motion.
Unfortunately, on the goal that tied things up late in the third, Ivankovic didn't get much help from his blue line as Berzkalns was able to pick up a rebound and put it past the Canadian netminder.
This performance alone doesn't guarantee that the Nashville Predators' draft pick will earn the net over George, but it was enough to at least make this a discussion going forward.
Canada gets away with sloppy mistakes
A team can own the shot clock advantage in a game but if they are careless with the puck, those mistakes can end up in the back of the net.
On the disallowed Latvia goal in the first, Canada tried to clear the puck on to have the attempt batted down, and they were outmanned in front of the net as Ivankovic made the initial save on Karlis Flugins, but Sieradzkis almost knocked the puck in off his stick, but missed and kicked it in.
It's tough to say how much the tone of the game could have changed if Latvia had the lead, but given how tough it was for Canada to generate offence at 5-on-5, playing behind might have forced a more desperate effort.
Latvia's forecheck also gave Canada a tough time, especially on the tying goal, as McKenna had a turnover while trying to clear the zone, and a few seconds later, the puck was in the back of the net.
You know Dale Hunter will address these mistakes, especially in the defensive zone, going forward.
