Mogo/RSU defeated Liepāja 4–1 at Mogo Hall on Saturday in the Optibet Hockey League, avenging their away defeat ten days earlier. Elviss Želubovskis, Ričards Grīnbergs, Rūdolfs Polcs and Vladimirs Zaicevs scored for the hosts.
Kārlis Mežsargs returned in goal for Mogo/RSU after missing one game, while Liepāja again entrusted Mihaels Valenta with goaltending duties, as they had ten days earlier. Ronalds Ķēniņš, who has represented Latvia at the Olympic Games and played in the National Hockey League, made his Mogo/RSU debut.
The hosts took the lead in the eighth minute. Kaspars Ziemiņš battled for the puck behind the net, and Rūdolfs Polcs set up Elviss Želubovskis in front of goal to beat Valenta. The visitors equalised late in the period when Dāniels Andersons sent the puck into the slot from the right wing, where Kārlis Ozoliņš reacted quickest to score.
In the second period, Ričards Grīnbergs restored Mogo/RSU’s lead following a pass from Ziemiņš. Just 40 seconds later, Polcs made it 3–1. Renarts Bērziņš’s shot from the blue line rebounded off the boards into the goalmouth, where the Mogo/RSU forward was first to the puck.
Tempers flared over the following minutes, with Grīnbergs and Kristaps Nīmanis receiving penalties that ended their involvement in the game. Kristaps Skrastiņš, Vladimirs Zaicevs, Daniils Andrejevs and Roberts Freidenfelds received lesser penalties.
Although there were still some heated exchanges, the third period was considerably calmer. The hosts added a fourth goal late in the game to put the result beyond doubt. Ernests Krūms passed back to the blue line, and Zaicevs’s shot beat Valenta to seal a 4–1 victory.
Kārlis Mežsargs was named Mogo/RSU’s player of the game, while Kārlis Ozoliņš received the honour for Liepāja.
Mogo/RSU will next face Hockey Punks in Vilnius on Saturday, 3 October, at 16:30.
About Mogo/RSU
Founded in 2014, Mogo/RSU has become one of Latvia’s most successful hockey clubs. It won the Latvian championship in its inaugural season and repeated the achievement in 2019, 2024 and 2025. The club has also won the Latvian Cup three times, defeating HK Kurbads in each final.
The club’s founder and president, Māris Martinsons, is a member of the Latvian Hockey Federation’s board. Former Latvian national team player Ģirts Ankipāns is Mogo/RSU’s head coach. Elvis Želubovskis has been the club’s general manager since its founding and continues to play for the team.
