![\"Dans](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/RUIHTYT22JFAHH4STKXLHX3VQY.jpg\")
Dans Locmelis, a UMass product and Bruins prospect, twice tied what became a Latvian upset of Germany on Saturday.SUN FEI\/POOL\/AFP via Getty Images<\/p>\nLarkin, a British-born, Italian-raised defenseman with Boston roots, made it clear that he was only praising the Finns, not knocking anyone else, when he said he had never seen a team play like that. <\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m so proud of our group for the first two games,\u201d he said of a 5-2 loss to Sweden that was closer than that, and a 3-2 loss to tournament surprise Slovakia. \u201cWe were so completely in on those games, giving everything we had, that maybe we gave too much and weren\u2019t ready for tonight.\u201d <\/p>\n
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The 35-year-old\u2019s turn as Olympic captain for Italy \u2014 which opted against taking NHL players of Italian heritage \u2014 is the latest stop in the winding road of a 14-year pro career that has taken him through the AHL (Springfield), ECHL (Evansville), KHL (Zagreb, Croatia), and Germany, where he has played for 10 years, most recently with Schwenninger. <\/p>\n
He is the son of a father (Mark) from South Dartmouth and a Milanese mother (Elena), born in London when both were working in finance. The family moved when he was a toddler to Varese, about an hour\u2019s drive north of Milan. The Varese Mastini \u2014 the Mastiffs \u2014 are a second-division pro team.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe swimming pool was attached to the rink. My brother saw a hockey practice after a swim lesson,\u201d Larkin said. \u201cI followed him in, and that was it.\u201d <\/p>\n
The 2004-05 NHL lockout, which brought pros to the Italian league, ignited his interest. He set his goals of playing college hockey, which he did for four seasons at Colgate. <\/p>\n
\u201cI dreamed of playing for my hometown club,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd then dared to dream bigger when I got to the States.\u201d <\/p>\n
Dans Locmelis, a UMass product and Bruins prospect, twice tied what became a Latvian upset of Germany on Saturday.SUN FEI\/POOL\/AFP via Getty Images<\/p>\n
Locmelis keys Latvian upset<\/p>\n
Bruins prospect Dans Locmelis put his stamp all over Latvia\u2019s upset of Germany, with two goals in a 4-3 win. \u201cI want to be part of something big,\u201d Locmelis told reporters at Rho Arena across town. \u201cHopefully we can surprise everyone.\u201d Locmelis, Boston\u2019s fourth-round pick (No. 119) in 2022, tied the game twice, 1-1 in the first and 2-2 in the second. That helped Latvia stun the Germans \u2014 who feature stars Leon Draisaitl, Tim St\u00fctzle, and Moritz Seider \u2014 and win its first game at the Olympics since 2014 . . . Switzerland and Los Angeles Kings forward Kevin Fiala had tournament-ending surgery on Saturday after an injury in a loss to Canada the night before. The Swiss Ice Hockey Federation called it a lower leg injury and said he was done for the Games, though neither they nor the Kings would confirm what the injury was or that LA\u2019s second-leading scorer (40 points) would miss the rest of the NHL season. Fiala was stretchered off the ice after landing awkwardly on his leg during a collision with Canada\u2019s Tom Wilson. \u201cIt\u2019s really tough,\u201d said Finland\u2019s Joel Armia, Fiala\u2019s Kings teammate. \u201cAs soon as I saw it, I was so sad. Yeah, it\u2019s not great.\u201d. . . After a two-game absence, Marie-Philip Poulin returned in Canada\u2019s 5-1 quarterfinal win over Germany. Dealing with what she called a tweaked right knee, Poulin played just 12:41, but scored for the 18th time at the Olympics, tying fellow Canadian Hayley Wickenheiser for most all-time at the Games.<\/p>\n