Canada’s Para ice hockey team will have to settle for silver in Beijing.
After a four-year wait to challenge the U.S. for gold again following a 2-1 defeat in overtime at PyeongChang 2018, the Americans defeated the Canadians 5-0 in the gold-medal game on Sunday for their fourth straight Paralympic title.
Declan Farmer and Brody Roybal both scored twice and added an assist for the Americans. Josh Pauls also found the net to dash Canada’s hopes of claiming its first gold medal since Turin 2006.
“It is pretty heavy on the heart right now, and I think it is going to take some time to move past that,” said Canadian captain Tyler McGregor. “You have to take pride in getting here and the process of the last four years.”
WATCH l Canada settles for silver as U.S. wins Para ice hockey gold medal:
Canada settles for silver as United States wins 4th straight Para ice hockey gold medal
9 hours ago
Duration 5:45
Declan Farmer and Brody Roybal both scored twice as the United States shut out Canada 5-0 to win the Para ice hockey gold medal for the fourth Paralympic Games in a row. 5:45
The silver medal serves as the last of Canada’s 25 overall medals (eight gold, six silver and 11 bronze) at the Beijing Paralympics.
McGregor wishes they could have turned the final piece of hardware into gold.
“The resiliency of this team and how much we love and care for each other, and all the hard work that goes in to representing your country — it’s heartbreaking — but what can you say.”
Five-time Paralympian Greg Westlake, who passed the captain’s role onto the younger McGregor for the 2022 Paralympics, called the result “disappointing.”
“We came out flying and had some great chances early. In our sport, with 15-minute periods, if you can take the lead early it changes the whole dynamic completely,” said the 36-year-old, who announced his retirement following these Games earlier on Saturday.
“You look back on it, and we could have got it done, but we didn’t. So we take our silver medal and hold our heads high.”
Canadian Para Ice Hockey team members are seen during the podium ceremony following the gold-medal final at the National Indoor Stadium on Sunday in Beijing. (Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)
Dominic Larocque, of Quebec City, made 15 saves for Canada, including a penalty shot by Pauls in the second period.
St. John’s, N.L., native Liam Hickey had a breakaway opportunity to put Canada on the board first with 6:51 remaining in the opening period, but American goaltender Jen Lee made one of his 16 saves to keep the game levelled.
Big chance for Canada ????????!<br><br>Liam Hickey breaks through but can’t find the shot and Jen Lee ???????? denies him to keep it scoreless<a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/Beijing2022?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#Beijing2022</a> <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/WinterParalympics?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#WinterParalympics</a> <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/ParaIceHockey?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#ParaIceHockey</a> <a href=”https://t.co/x3W7GQrdqB”>pic.twitter.com/x3W7GQrdqB</a>
Shortly after, Farmer and Roybal scored shorthanded goals 25 seconds apart from each other to put the U.S. up 2-0.
Canada was unable to capitalize on a two-man advantage near the end of the second period and veteran Billy Bridges, of Summerside, P.E.I., hit the post in the third on a night where the Canadians had a hard time getting going.
Off the post!<br><br>Billy Bridges shoots and is inches away from getting Canada ???????? on the board!<a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/Beijing2022?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#Beijing2022</a> <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/WinterParalympics?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#WinterParalympics</a> <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/ParaIceHockey?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#ParaIceHockey</a> <a href=”https://t.co/fjbe0Lava1″>pic.twitter.com/fjbe0Lava1</a>
Canada also lost 5-0 to the U.S. to open the preliminary round before going on to rout South Korea 6-0.
The Canadians followed that up with an 11-0 victory against South Korea in the semifinals en route to the gold-medal game.
The U.S., on the other hand, had gone undefeated, besting South Korea 9-1 and then getting past China 11-0 in the semifinals prior to the final.
China shut out South Korea 4-0 for bronze on Saturday to complete the podium.
‘You must keep battling’
Despite the 16-year gold medal drought and another tough loss in a final, McGregor looks ahead to what he sees as a bright future for the team.
“We have so much talent and youth. We have so much young leadership within our team, and that’s exciting,” the 28-year-old from Forest, Ont., said. “You must keep battling. This is not the first time we have to start over after being on the wrong side of the gold medal game.
“You never give up. You have to keep finding ways to put yourself [in position] to win a gold medal. We have to believe that we have the team to do that.”
TORONTO – Reigning PWHL MVP and scoring champ Natalie Spooner will miss the start of the regular season for the Toronto Sceptres, general manager Gina Kingsbury announced Tuesday on the first day of training camp.
The 33-year-old Spooner had knee surgery on her left anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) after she was checked into the boards by Minnesota’s Grace Zumwinkle in Game 3 of their best-of-five semifinal series on May 13.
She had a goal and an assist in three playoff games but did not finish the series. Toronto was up 2-1 in the semifinal at that time and eventually fell 3-2 in the series.
Spooner led the PWHL with 27 points in 24 games. Her 20 goals, including five game-winners, were nine more than the closest skater.
Kingsbury said there is no timeline, as the team wants the Toronto native at 100 per cent, but added that “she is doing really well” in her recovery.
The Sceptres open the PWHL season on Nov. 30 when they host the Boston Fleet.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 12, 2024.
LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — A top official of the Pakistan Cricket Board declined Friday to confirm media reports that India has decided against playing any games in host Pakistan during next year’s Champions Trophy.
“My view is if there’s any problems, they (India) should tell us in writing,” PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi told reporters in Lahore. “I’ll share that with the media as well as with the government as soon as I get such a letter.”
Indian media reported Friday that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has communicated its concerns to all the Champions Trophy stakeholders, including the PCB, over the Feb. 19-March 9 tournament and would not play in arch-rival Pakistan.
The Times of India said that “Dubai is a strong candidate to host the fixtures involving the Men in Blue” for the 50-over tournament.
Such a solution would see Pakistan having to travel to a neutral venue to play India in a group match, with another potential meeting later in the tournament if both teams advanced from their group. The final is scheduled for March 9 in Pakistan with the specific venue not yet decided.
“Our stance is clear,” Naqvi said. “They need to give us in writing any objections they may have. Until now, no discussion of the hybrid model has happened, nor are we prepared to accept one.”
Political tensions have stopped bilateral cricket between the two nations since 2008 and they have competed in only multi-nation tournaments, including ICC World Cups.
“Cricket should be free of politics,” Naqvi said. “Any sport should not be entangled with politics. Our preparations for the Champions Trophy will continue unabated, and this will be a successful event.”
The PCB has already spent millions of dollars on the upgrade of stadiums in Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi which are due to host 15 Champions Trophy games. Naqvi hoped all the three stadiums will be ready over the next two months.
“Almost every country wants the Champions Trophy to be played here (in Pakistan),” Naqvi said. “I don’t think anyone should make this a political matter, and I don’t expect they will. I expect the tournament will be held at the home of the official hosts.”
Eight countries – Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, England, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and Afghanistan – are due to compete in the tournament, the schedule of which is yet to be announced by the International Cricket Council.
“Normally the ICC announces the schedule of any major tournament 100 days before the event, and I hope they will announce it very soon,” Naqvi said.
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Ottawa‘s Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe of New Zealand are through to the doubles final at the WTA Finals after a 7-6 (7), 6-1 victory over Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the United States and Australia’s Ellen Perez in semifinal action Friday.
Dabrowski and Routliffe won a hard-fought first set against serve when Routliffe’s quick reaction at the net to defend a Perez shot gave the duo set point, causing Perez to throw down her racket in frustration.
The second seeds then cruised through the second set, winning match point on serve when Melichar-Martinez couldn’t handle Routliffe’s shot.
The showdown was a rematch of last year’s semifinal, which Melichar-Martinez and Perez won in a super tiebreak.
Dabrowski and Routliffe will face the winner of a match between Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend, and Hao-Ching Chan and Veronika Kudermetova in the final on Saturday.
Dabrowski is aiming to become the first Canadian to win a WTA Finals title.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.
