The favourites delivered as expected on Day One of the 2024 Men's Final Olympic Ice Hockey Qualification Group E in Riga on Thursday. France triumphed 7-2 over Ukraine and Latvia delivered a 4-2 win over Slovenia.

France 7 Ukraine 2 (2-0, 3-0, 2-2)

In the opener of the 2024 Men’s Final Olympic Ice Hockey Qualification Group E, France proved to be too strong for Ukraine – winners of their group in the previous Olympic qualification in February – as Les Bleus bagged a 7-2 win on Thursday.
 
Pierrick Dube scored once and picked up two assists for France, and four other players, Yohann Auvitu, Alexandre Texier, Stephane Da Costa, and Florian Chakiachvili collected two points each. Vitali Lialka was named Ukraine’s player of the game and Charles Bertrand was honoured for France.
 
It was Chakiachvili, a big veteran defenceman, who opened the scoring less than nine minutes into the first period. He fired a wrister from the high slot and a Ukrainian defenceman blocked goaltender Bogdan Dyachenko’s view just long enough for him to lose sight of the puck until it was too late. ‘
 
Late in the first period, the French power play delivered the puck to Stephane Da Costa, who fired a laser that beat Dyachenko high on the stick side. 
 
Team captain Pierre-Edouard Bellemare extended the lead to three goals at 4:11 of the second period. Before the period was halfway through, France had a 5-0 lead, thanks to Sacha Treille’s deflection and Dube’s breakaway goal. 
 
Ukraine at least managed to get a 2-2 tie in the third period, including a late shorthanded tally by Oleksandr Peresunko, when the French had already set their sights on Friday’s game against Slovenia. 

Latvia 4 Slovenia 2 (2-1. 2-1, 0-0)

Latvia got to a great start at the 2024 Men’s Final Olympic Ice Hockey Qualification Group E as the hosts beat Slovenia in front of a happy Riga crowd.‘
 
According to an old hockey axiom, the first and the last minute of each period are especially important, and Latvia proved it right once again. The maroon-sweatered team came flying into the game, drawing a penalty on the first shift. Uvis Janis Balinskis scored on a power play on the next man advantage with a wrister from the high slot. 
 
Slovenia wasn’t fazed by the early goal. On the contrary, just 46 seconds later, Rok Ticar’s slap shot from the top of the circle beat Latvian netminder Kristers Gudlevskis on the glove side to tie the game. 
 
Latvia got its third power play opportunity late in the period, and with 1.05 remaining, Rudolfs Balcers slammed in a loose puck after Slovenia’s goalie Gasper Kroselj lost track of the rebound. 
 
Five minutes into the second period, Latvia had a long shift in the Slovenian zone. It ended in a beautiful backhand feed from Oskars Batna to Martins Dzierkals, whose misfired one-timer beat Kroselj on the short side, to give Latvia a 3-1 lead.
 
But Slovenians are nothing if not fighters. With five minutes remaining in the second period, Lukas Maver brought his team back into the game. Maver’s first shot was blocked, but the puck bounced right back to his stick and he fired it home to bring Slovenia within one. 
 
But again, Latvia struck late with a power play goal. Rodrigo Abols slammed a rebound into the net at 18.33, after a broken play that left him alone on top of the crease to seal the deal.