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Canada earned a silver medal after falling to the United States 2-0 in the Para Hockey Cup final Saturday evening in Dawson Creek, B.C.
Brett Bolton scored in the first period and Brody Roybal added an empty-netter for the reigning world and Olympic Para hockey champions. Jen Lee made 10 saves for the shutout, while Corbin Watson made 16 saves in the losing effort.
“We are happy with our tournament as a whole because our team got better every game and we are building a sense of belief,” said Canadian forward Adam Dixon.
The Americans have now won an unprecedented 10-consecutive Para Cup championships and hold a world-best 12 titles all-time.
The U.S. closed the event with a 5-0-0-0 record, going undefeated at the Para Hockey Cup for the seventh consecutive time.
“I thought we finished with our best effort,” said U.S. head coach David Hoff. “I liked how we played defensively, Jen stepped up for us, and I thought it was a good all-around effort and a great way to finish this tournament.”
Canada has lost each of the last nine Para Hockey Cup finals dating to 2016. The Canadians have won five gold medals in the tournament, most recently in 2013.
Canada went 3-0-2-0 in the four-team tournament, with both losses at the hands of the U.S., which beat the Canadians 3-2 in the preliminary round.
The Canadians had their opportunities to score in Saturday’s final, including two power plays in the second period. But Canada couldn’t convert and finished the game 0-for-3.
The U.S. went 0-for-2 on the power play.
“We forced a lot of turnovers and created scoring opportunities from the forecheck, and we are thrilled with that. Moving forward, consistency and execution in big moments will be a key for us,” said Canada captain Tyler McGregor.
“We will be ready [for the Paralympics], and by the time March rolls around we will be ready to perform in Milan and represent Canada to the best of our ability.”
CBC Sports sits down with Raphaëlle Tousignant, teammate Tyler McGregor, and head coach Russ Herrington, ahead of the 2023 World Para Ice Hockey Championships in Moose Jaw, Sask.
Canada’s National Para Hockey will host a pair of training camps in Canada ahead of the Paralympics. The team will gather in Calgary from Jan. 8-20 and Oakville, Ont., from Feb. 9-19.
Canada will open its Paralympic schedule March 7 against Slovakia. They will also take on Germany and Czech Republic in the preliminary round before the tournament concludes with the medal games on March 15.
“We have taken some big steps since this team first got together in August, but now the real season starts when we gather again in Calgary in January,” said head coach Boris Rybalka.
“I am proud of these guys and we are happy with our progress on the ice so far this season, but a few months of practice will be great for us as we look ahead to Milan.”
Earlier Saturday, China captured its second-consecutive bronze medal at the Para Cup, beating the Czechs 4-2. Dianpeng Qiu, Xiaodong Song, Zhidong Wang and Jintao Tian provided the offence for China, while Wei Wang made seven saves.
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