Optibet League. September 19, 13:30. Riga, Mogo Ice Arena.
For the first time this new season, Oleg Tymchenko’s wards will face an opponent that has won the last three Optibet League campaigns – Mogo/RSU.
Girts Ankipans’ squad approaches the 2026/2027 season with significant changes to its roster. First of all, it is worth noting the transfer of the Riga team’s leading duo – Sarkanis and Sprukts – to our team. Another major loss for Mogo/RSU was the departure of Niks Fenenko, who recorded 13 points (7+6) in head-to-head matches against Kyiv Capitals. The defenseman will continue his career with the Norwegian side Sparta. In addition, Kristers Ansons, Artemijs Orlovs, and Reinis Lejnieks have left the team.
At the same time, the team was not left without reinforcements. The Riga team’s transfer policy was primarily focused on other leagues. The only exception was Rauls Ozollapa, who joined Mogo/RSU from Zemgale/LBTU. Among other transfers, the return of Kaspars Daugavins should be noted. The experienced forward started the previous Optibet League campaign with Mogo/RSU, and later played for the German Kassel Huskies. Ricards Grinbergs and Rudolfs Polcs arrived in Latvia from the French championship, while Kristaps Skrastiņš and Edijs Freimanis played in the USA. Besides them, Roberts Kalķis joined the squad. The defenseman spent last season in Czechia. Meanwhile, the goaltending line was reinforced by Janis Sidass, who missed the 2025/2026 championship and previously defended the colors of Prizma.
It is also worth mentioning that Mogo/RSU’s roster was replenished by a number of hockey players from the Falcons-10 youth team, which is part of the club’s structure.
The opponents approach this head-to-head matchup in second and third places in the standings, respectively. Girts Ankipans’ squad has played three matches, defeating HS Riga/Dinaburga twice (4:1, 9:1) and losing to Liepaja in a shootout. The current total for the Riga team is five points. The Kyiv team, which has played two games, has earned one point less. Oleg Tymchenko’s wards consecutively dealt with HS Riga/Dinaburga (3:0) and Hockey Punks (6:1).
It should be noted that the current top scorer for Kyiv Capitals and the league overall is Deivids Sarkanis with seven points (3+4). On the Mogo/RSU roster, Ricards Grinbergs (2+3) and Kaspars Daugaviņs (1+4) have each recorded five points.
The history of head-to-head matchups also deserves a separate mention. Last season, the opponents played 11 matches against each other. In the regular season, our team won three times, while the Riga team won twice. However, in the playoff semifinals, Mogo/RSU prevailed in the series with a score of 4:2.
The top scorers in head-to-head meetings are Eduards Hugo Jansons for Kyiv Capitals with 8 points (4+4), while for Mogo/RSU, the most points were scored by the repeatedly mentioned Sarkanis – 14 (5+9). Among the opponent’s current players, Gints Meija has 13 points (5+8) to his name.
Therefore, we look forward to a new chapter of matchups between the teams in their revamped lineups.
