Latvia pulled off the first upset of the 2022 IIHF Ice Hockey U18 World Championship on Saturday with a 3-2 opening win over Sweden in Kaufbeuren, Germany.

It's the first time the Latvians have defeated the Swedes in five tries all-time dating back to 2012. Latvia previously took one point from Sweden in a 4-3 overtime loss in 2016 in Grand Forks, North Dakota.

"We gained a lot of confidence," said Latvian defenceman Dario Mackevics. "Before the tournament, everybody was a little bit scared. But I think now our team is ready to fight all the teams in this tournament."

Latvia is aiming to improve on its peak eighth-place finish, which it achieved in 2019 under current head coach Olegs Sorokins. This effort against Sweden certainly set the right tone.

In addition to being a shocker, this was a special teams duel, as the teams scored two power play goals apiece.

"It was a team effort," said Sorokins. "Everyone did their job. And we're happy that we played a really good tactical game. Obviously, we're really happy about the power play. We always got a leg up every time Sweden came back. Altogether, I'm really proud of the team and the way they played."

Eriks Mateiko scored the late second-period winner for Latvia, and Rainers Darzins and Erasts Nazarenko had the other goals.

"I think it's a very big accomplishment by Latvia," said goalie Deivs Rolovs, who made 23 saves. "We are very proud of ourselves. And we want to do our best in the tournament to represent Latvia."

Noah Ostlund and Filip Bystedt replied for Sweden, which outshot Latvia 25-21.

The Swedes, who won bronze in 2021 in Texas, looked sluggish and uncoordinated in the early going, and when they jacked up the pressure in the final period, it was too late.

"The main problem, I think, is that we had not as many shots as I wished," said Swedish coach Magnus Havelid. "The first game is always a tricky one."

Sweden is seeking its second U18 Worlds gold medal of all time. The Smakronorna earned their first gold on home ice in Ornskoldsvik in 2019 when Lucas Raymond completed his hat trick in overtime for a 4-3 victory over Russia. But a much better effort will be required to make golden dreams come true in 2022.

The Latvians came out of the gate with enthusiasm, outskating their favoured opponents and showing better discipline.

Latvia drew first blood on its first power play at 9:47. Swedish goalie Hugo Havelid was unable to corral the rebound from Sandis Vilmanis’s one-timer from the right faceoff circle and Darzins, stationed in front, tucked the puck in.

The Swedes generated a tiny bit of pressure on a late first-period power play, but couldn’t cash in. Shots on goal in the first period favoured Latvia 8-3.

"They came out hard, forechecked hard, and we weren't ready from the beginning," said Ostlund.

Early in the second period, Latvia's David Livsics got a partial breakaway, but couldn't beat Hugo Havelid under backchecking pressure.

Sweden finally drew even with the man advantage at 6:14, thanks to a lovely bit of deception by Liam Ohgren. Controlling the puck behind the net, the Swedish captain pivoted and sent it back to Ostlund, who caught Rolovs off guard with a high bad-angle shot.

Undaunted, Latvia regained the lead just 1:10 later. Martins Kruklitis made a great rush down right wing, circled behind the Swedish net, and sent a lovely backhand pass across the crease to Nazarenko, who made no mistake from close range.

Bystedt made it 2-2 at 13:55 as the Swedish power play converted again. Taking a feed from defenceman Mattias Havelid, he stepped in from the blue line and scored on a rising wrist shot through traffic.

The Latvians refused to wilt. On another power play, Mateiko coolly unleashed a long floater from the centre point that knocked the water bottle off and made it 3-2 at 18:49.

"You need to take the shot when a chance comes, but we tried to play [with the puck] too much in the first two periods," said Magnus Havelid. "We couldn't create any scoring chances and they played really good defence. So credit to Latvia."

Near the two-minute mark of the third period, Rolovs was alert to foil Otto Stenberg off the rush with a quick right pad save. The Smakronorna outshot the Latvians 14-2 in the final stanza, but true Grade-A chances were sparse and Rolovs was impregnable.

Hugo Havelid was pulled for the extra attacker with 1:32 left. The Latvians ran out the clock with multiple icing calls and celebrated joyously at the final buzzer.

The Swedes have medalled at four of the last five U18 Worlds, including a silver medal in 2016 and bronze medals in 2018 and 2021. This team isn't as star-studded as the 2019 edition, which also featured the likes of Alexander Holtz, Philip Broberg, and Tobias Bjornfot. It'll take hard work to get back on track.

On Sunday, Sweden takes on Switzerland, while Latvia faces Finland.

"Tomorrow is a new day and a new game," said Ostlund. "So we're going to play better tomorrow and take three points with us."