EP Rinkside's 3 Stars from Day 2 of the 2024 U18 World Hockey Championship

The second day of the tournament started with an upset as Latvia took home a 5-3 win over Slovakia. The Latvians battled honourably against Finland in the tournament opener – even if the ice was heavily tilted against them for the majority of the game – and the win over Slovakia means a great deal for their chances of making it to the quarterfinals.

In the other rink, Switzerland bounced back from their opening-day defeat by taking down Kazakhstan 5-2, outshooting their opposition 43-17 in the process. Potential 2024 late-round pick Gian Meier was the star of the show, adding a goal and two assists from the back end. 

Finland took care of the business against Norway, taking advantage of the easy early schedule, dominating the play and scoring seven goals while keeping their net clean. It was