Mogo/RSU suffered a 1–2 shootout defeat away to Liepāja in the Optibet Hockey League on Wednesday. Kristaps Skrastiņš scored Mogo/RSU’s only goal.
Kārlis Mežsargs started in the Mogo/RSU net for the third game of the season, while Liepāja entrusted Mihaels Valenta with guarding their goal. The visitors were more active offensively at the start of the game. Ričards Grīnbergs had a dangerous shot on goal, but Valenta made the save.
Kristers Butāns then took three consecutive shots at the Mogo/RSU net. The first two were blocked by the visiting players, while Mežsargs stopped the third. Midway through the period, Timurs Solostejs broke in alone against Valenta but was unable to beat the goalkeeper.
Liepāja took the lead in the 13th minute. Adrians Bērziņš fired from the blue line, and Mežsargs, whose view was obstructed by players skating in front of him, was unable to stop the puck. Elviss Želubovskis later tested Valenta, while Liepāja forward Kārlis Tamenieks had an opportunity in the final seconds, but both goaltenders came out on top.
Early in the second period, Kristaps Skrastiņš produced a good shot, but Valenta continued to perform well. In the seventh minute, the game was delayed for several minutes because of a problem with Valenta’s equipment. Rodions Pronskis briefly replaced him before the Czech goalkeeper returned to the net.
Roberts Kaļķis sent a backhand shot towards the Liepāja goal, while Pertu Iso-Kuorti attempted a similar shot at the other end, with the score remaining unchanged. Kaļķis also carried the puck from one end of the rink to the other, but Valenta again made the save. In the final minute of the period, Tamenieks tripped Kaspars Daugaviņš, leaving the home side shorthanded.
Mogo/RSU were unable to beat Valenta on the ensuing power play. The active Rolans Vasiļjevs then drew another penalty when Šarūns Baltrūns hooked him. However, the visitors’ numerical advantage lasted only a minute, as Jānis Zemītis was also sent to the penalty box for hooking. Once again, neither team managed to convert its power-play opportunity.
With less than two minutes remaining, Mežsargs was replaced by an extra attacker, finally allowing Mogo/RSU to find a way past Valenta. Daugaviņš won the face-off and moved the puck back to the blue line. Renarts Bērziņš passed to Kristaps Skrastiņš, whose shot found its way through traffic and into the net.
The Mogo/RSU trio of Daugaviņš, Skrastiņš and Bērziņš began overtime energetically, with all three registering shots on goal. Endijs Butāns broke in against Mežsargs, but the puck slipped off his stick at the last moment, and overtime ended without a goal.
Neither Markuss Mežģirs, Skrastiņš, Daugaviņš nor Zemītis managed to beat Valenta in the shootout. Daniels Andersons and Baltrūns, meanwhile, converted their attempts against Mežsargs to secure a 2–1 victory for Liepāja.
Kristaps Skrastiņš was named Mogo/RSU’s best player, while Mihaels Valenta received the honour for Liepāja.
Mogo/RSU will play their next game on Saturday, 19 September, when they host Kyiv Capitals at Mogo Hall at 13:30.
About Mogo/RSU
Founded in 2014, Mogo/RSU has become one of the strongest and most decorated hockey clubs in Latvia. The team won the Latvian championship in its very first season and repeated the achievement in 2019, 2024, and 2025. From 2016 to 2017, Mogo/LSPA claimed the Latvian Cup three years in a row, defeating HK Kurbads in each final. The founder and president of Mogo/RSU is Māris Martinsons, who is also a board member of the Latvian Ice Hockey Federation. The team’s head coach is former Latvian national team player Ģirts Ankipāns. Mogo/RSU’s general manager since the club’s first day is Elviss Želubovskis, who continues to represent the team on the ice as well.
