Jason La Rose
The road to the World Para Hockey Championship continues for Canada’s National Para Hockey Team as it opens up a three-game series against the United States south of the border in North Dakota on Wednesday afternoon.
Last Meeting & Last Game
The rivals last met in early December, when Canada dropped a 3-0 decision to the Americans in the gold medal game of the Para Hockey Cup in Quispamsis, New Brunswick. Adam Kingsmill was terrific in a 10-save performance, but the Canadians couldn’t find the back of the net.
What to Watch
As Tyler McGregor and Dominic Cozzolino go, so go the Canadians. The veteran duo were heavily relied upon for offence in Quispamsis, posting 10 points each – both had four goals and six assists in five games. The next highest-scoring player wearing the Maple Leaf? That would be Liam Hickey, who finished with three points. Cozzolino’s performance at the Para Hockey Cup pushed him past the 100-point mark all-time with Team Canada, just the eighth player to reach that mark, while McGregor went over 200 points for his career, joining Billy Bridges (428), Greg Westlake (369), Brad Bowden (320) and Adam Dixon (251) in that exclusive club.
For the Americans, it’s all about Declan Farmer. Arguably the best player in the world, the 26-year-old once again led the Para Hockey Cup in scoring, posting 16 points (8-8—16) to top the scoring chart for the seventh time in eight appearances at the tournament. Farmer has run roughshod over the competition this season, to the tune of 29 points (18-11—29) in 10 games, and he has 74 points (48-26—74) in 28 games dating back to the start of the 2022-23 season. Simply dominant.
A Busy Week in Minot
For the first time, men’s and women’s para hockey series will run parallel to each other, with Women’s Para Hockey of Canada taking on its American counterparts in a three-game set on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. The Canadian roster will include Raphaëlle Tousignant, who made history last spring as the first woman to play for Canada at the World Para Hockey Championship.
A Look Back
The head-to-head history between the Canadians and Americans is almost dead even, with Canada holding a narrow 59-57-1 advantage (although the U.S. has a 238-233 edge in goals).
The Americans have had the upper hand as of late; the last win for Canada came back on Oct. 29, 2021, when Anton Jacobs-Webb scored the winner 13 seconds into the third period, helping the Canadians earn a 4-2 victory in the opener of a two-game series in the St. Louis suburbs.
All-time record: Canada leads 59-57-1 (8-13 in OT/SO) Canada goals: 233 United States goals: 238