The fourth Latvian championship title won by Mogo/RSU has given the club’s decade a golden shine. If we add the three Latvian Cup victories, Mogo/RSU is clearly the most decorated club in the country. The club’s founder and president, Māris Martinsons, can tell the most about the fierce battles with Zemgale/LBTU and the past years in general.
Is any of the Latvian championship titles closer to your heart?
Each title has been won differently, but all of them are meaningful and important. I won’t hide it – it certainly puts your nerves to the test, and it has turned into a kind of addiction.
Tell us how it all began – how was Mogo club created?
It all started with the hockey club Concept, where we had several owners. Then Elviss Želubovskis approached me and said that we should create our own club. That’s how Mogo was formed. Some time later, we purchased what is now the Mogo arena and established the Falcons sports school.
Two overtimes, adjusted shots in front of the net, small score differences – can we say that the finalists were very evenly matched?
None of our finals have ever been easy, because the opponents have always been evenly matched. In recent years, it has been Zemgale, with whom we have been competing on equal terms all the time. In the end, everything is decided by game tactics and the mistakes made. And, of course, experience – as has been proven in the last two years. Both teams know how to defend, so there were not many goals, and almost all games ended with a one-goal difference. It showed that both teams were fighting to the death, which was visible on the ice. We were more patient, and experience prevailed.
It goes without saying that the experience of Krišjānis Rēdlihs, Meija, and Sotnieks was invaluable?
Yes, undeniably. Everyone in the team has their own role. Young players contribute, and together the result is created. And, of course, credit goes to the coach for putting it all together.
And yet, no matter how great the Latvian national team players are, the MVP for the second year in a row is an 18-year-old Mogo/RSU goalkeeper…
Yes, that makes me very happy – our situation with goalkeepers in Latvia is excellent. It shows that we are on the right track and doing things correctly if we can develop goalkeepers of such calibre. I would like to emphasise that they don’t grow in one year – it is years of work involving many people. And in the end, we are the ones who make the final choice :)))
Who is the one who manages to find those fresh, talented young players?
It’s a team effort. One part is the club’s development system, from which we draw young talents. Recently, several players have grown within our system. Our club has several coaches and general manager Elviss, who monitor young players and assemble the team.
In the last ten years, Kurbads and Zemgale have each won two titles, and Mogo/RSU has four. Is this coincidence or a pattern?
Mogo is probably the most decorated team in the Latvian league because we have won all three Latvian Cups, finished first in the regular season nine times, and claimed four championship titles.
Since day one, there have been four musketeers in the club – Martinsons, Želubovskis, Ančs, Lavrenovs…
Yes, that’s how it is. These are the people with whom Mogo started and continues to this day.
The head coach, Ģirts Ankipāns, has also become an integral part of Mogo…
Yes, we have close cooperation with Ģirts not only with Mogo’s main team, but also in the development of the youth teams – both as a coach and in team building.
We’ve already mentioned young goalkeepers. Among skaters, we must not forget the 16-year-old Olivers Mūrnieks, who has already shone at the U20 World Championship…
Yes, I personally believe that Olivers is our most talented hockey player of the past decade. I sincerely hope that he will be able to achieve the highest results, and I wish him exactly that.
Is Latvian youth hockey on the right track?
Latvia is a very small country, where there is no such thing as the “right” or “wrong” path. We are forced to adapt to circumstances. Every player is very important to us. As recent results show, everything is fine with Latvian youth hockey – we play at the highest level in both the U18 and U20 World Championships. This means that things are being done correctly. Of course, there will always be someone who says things can be better – that’s how life is.
And the final question – next spring, will we be able to count to five?
There’s that song about counting chickens in the fall. But seriously – our goals have always been the highest. And next season will be no exception – we will fight to win!
Source: La.lv (Translated using an artificial intelligence tool)
