Aurora University sophomore hockey student-athlete Rihards Marenis has been selected to play for his native Latvia in the upcoming Euro Ice Hockey Challenge on November 5 to 7, 2015. The Challenge will be played in Liepaja, Latvia at the LOC ice rink.
 
"I am extremely proud of Rihards and the opportunity he has earned for himself," said AU Head Coach Ryan Buchanan. "Not many people can say they had the chance to play for their country.  He has worked very hard to get himself to this point.  Rihards has played his junior hockey and now college here in the states.  I am excited that he gets to play in front of his family and friends who have not seen him play in an actual game for over six years."
 
After the Spartans open the 2015-2016 season this weekend, Marenis will travel to his native Latvia where the Euro Ice Hockey Challenge is being played.
 
"I am honored to have the opportunity to represent my country in the Euro Ice Hockey Challenge," said Marenis. "I have never had the chance to wear my country's colors before and being able to do that is going to be an amazing feeling. Not a lot of people get to represent their country in a sporting event, so I am very appreciative of the opportunity presented to me."
 
Marenis will represent Aurora University among the 25 players selected to play for Latvia. The largest representation on the Latvian team is from the Continental Hockey League (KHL) team of Riga "Dinamo" (four hockey players), five hockey players representing other KHL clubs. Five players come from the Latvian Higher League Ice Hockey Championship, Marenis from Aurora University (NCAA - United States of America), three players have no club affiliation and the other candidates represent different hockey clubs in Europe.
 
Once arriving in Latvia, Marenis and the rest of his Latvian teammates will spend three-days training under coaches Eric Milun and Karlis Zirnis. The Euro Ice Hockey Challenge schedule is listed below.
 

• November 5 vs. Japan at 7:30 p.m. (Latvian time) / 11:30 a.m. (Central Time).
• November 6 vs. Belarus at 7:30 p.m. (Latvian) / 11:30 a.m. (Central).
• November 7 vs. Italy at 5:00 p.m. (Latvian) / 9:00 a.m. (Central).

Catch Marenis and his Aurora University Spartan hockey teammates in action on Friday, October 30, 2015 when they take on the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point at 7:30 p.m. at the Fox Valley Ice Arena in Geneva, Illinois.