Finland's Liiga: Batņa sets up goal in opening minute, Jokerit suffer heavy home loss
Latvian players had a busy round in Finland's top hockey league, with Batņa assisting on an opening-minute goal while Mika Tumanovs' Jokerit fell 0:6 at home.
Latvian ice hockey players featured across several games in Finland's top division, the Liiga.
Batņa records an assist
Center Batņa, playing for Pelicans, logged 17 minutes and five seconds of ice time. He picked up an assist on his team's only goal of the game, which came just 30 seconds into the first period. Batņa also fired five shots on goal and won the majority of his faceoffs, going 13-for-21, a 61.9% success rate.
Andžāns helps HPK beat Turku TPS
Defenseman Artūrs Andžāns was part of an HPK side that defeated Turku TPS 3:1. The Latvian played 19 minutes and 30 seconds, took one shot on goal, and finished the game with a +2 plus-minus rating.
Heavy defeat for Jokerit
Meanwhile, Helsinki's Jokerit, featuring Mika Tumanovs, disappointed their home crowd with a 0:6 loss to Tappara. Tumanovs played 15 minutes, recorded two shots on goal, and ended the game with a -1 plus-minus rating.
Grigals stays on the bench
Latvian national team goaltender Gustavs Dāvis Grigals remained a backup this time as his club, Lappeenranta's SaiPa, beat Kouvola's KooKoo 2:1 in overtime. The winning goal was scored by Samuli Niinisaari.
