Latvia and the Latvijas Hokeja Federācija (Latvian Hockey Federation) announced their men’s hockey roster for the upcoming Milano Cortina Winter Olympics starting on Feb. 6.
Among the 25 players selected to represent Latvia in the tournament is BGSU hockey alumnus Ralfs Freibergs, who currently plays for HC Vitkovice in the Czech Republic.
Freibergs, a native of Riga, Latvia, skated as a defenseman for Bowling Green during the 2012-13 and 2013-14 seasons.
During his time in the Orange and Brown, Freibergs appeared in 45 games and scored four goals and 25 assists for 29 career collegiate points.
Freibergs is no stranger to representing Latvia in international competition, as he previously represented his home nation at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics and the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics while also representing Latvia in International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) Men’s World Championships and World Junior Championships, among other international competitions during his career.
One notable moment of Freiberg’s international career is when he helped Latvia win a bronze medal in the 2023 IIHF Men’s World Championships, defeating Team USA in the process.
Across his two previous Olympic tournaments, Freibergs appeared in nine games and scored an assist during the 2014 games.
Team Latvia will be competing in Group C at these Olympics, along with Germany, Denmark, and the United States.
Freibergs and Latvia will play their first game of the Olympics against Team USA on Feb. 12 at the Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena in Milan, Italy.
