Estonia goes down 2-1 against Lithuania in World Championship clash
The Estonian national ice hockey team suffered its first defeat before a home crowd at the 2025 IIHF World Championship Division I, losing 2–1 to Lithuania.
The teams also faced off at last year's World Championship, with Lithuania winning 6–1. Estonia later earned a 3–2 consolation victory over the southernmost Baltic state in a testimonial game for Lauri Lahesalu held before the current competition.
Estonia performed well at the tournament, held at the Tondiraba Ice Hall, up to now, and beat Spain 6–1 and Croatia 6–2.
On Tuesday, Conrad Mölder started in goal for Estonia but was injured in the first period and replaced by Villem-Henrik Koitmaa. Goaltending performance was not as strong as Lithuania's, particularly after the substitution, which may have affected defensive confidence.
Individual skill levels appeared somewhat lower overall in the matchup against Lithuania, while physical conditioning seemed to lag slightly behind that of their opponents on the day.
Lithuania also beat China 1–0 in the opening game, followed by a 5–0 win over Spain, remaining undefeated after their win over Estonia.
Estonia failed to convert any of their 15 shots in the opening period, while Lithuania had five shots which it, too, did not capitalize on, sending both teams into the long break scoreless. There was also less creativity and spontaneity with the puck in Estonia's offensive efforts, and a few poor decisions led to missed chances or turnovers.
Lithuania opened their account in the second period when Simonas Valivonis scored five minutes after play resumed. Midway through the period, Paulius Gintautas extended the lead to two during a power play.
In the final period, Erik Nevolainen pulled one back for Estonia, scoring midway through the period for his first international goal. The score remained unchanged after that.
The goals can be viewed by clicking on the video player below.
South Korea, Estonia's next opponent, joins Lithuania as undefeated after three games, while Estonia sits in third place after Tuesday's loss.
Wednesday is a rest day for Estonia; the competition resumes on Thursday at 4 p.m. with the Estonia-South Korea matchup.
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Editor: Andrew Whyte
