Zemgale Jelgava defeated Liepāja 3-2 in their Optibet Hockey League fixture on Saturday evening. The hosts opened their campaign with a victory against the league's current leaders. Liepāja had been unbeaten in three games, winning each one, before this match.
And here's the thing about the table situation. Zemgale sat eighth with zero games, zero points — the season hadn't started for them until tonight. Liepāja occupied second place with three wins from three outings. The gap between them on paper was stark, even if the result told a different story.
Liepāja's recent run had been impressive. Four-two wins against Riga Prism came in quick succession, followed by a narrow two-one victory over Mogu on Wednesday. They had looked sharp, moving the puck well and closing out games. Tonight they found something harder.
Zemgale's form going into this match was unpredictable. Heavy eleven-four wins, tight two-three losses, and a string of one-two defeats against Mogu in April. To be fair, the small sample size meant little projection could be made. They had scored freely in one game, struggled in others.
The result shifts nothing in Liepāja's position for now — they remain second, still unbeaten. But it puts Zemgale on the board with two points from one game. By then, the hosts had proven they could compete with the league's best.