OSTRAVA, Czechia – Team Canada won’t dwell on Tuesday’s 8-2 loss to the United States, which concluded preliminary round action at the International Para Hockey Cup.
The Canadians end the round-robin with two wins and a loss behind the undefeated the Americans, and will next face the Czechs on Wednesday in the semifinals.
“Our message stays the same,’’ said Canada’s head coach Russ Herrington. ‘’It’s about being present. What happened yesterday or two days ago doesn’t matter, we have to rest, recover, and focus on the new day ahead of us.”
In Tuesday’s game, the Americans dominated from start to finish outshooting their opponents 35-4.
Goal scorers for Canada were Liam Hickey, with his team-leading fifth of the tournament, and Anton Jacobs-Webb.
At the Paralympic Winter Games this past March in Beijing, Canada won the silver medal, losing in the final to the U.S. for a second straight Games.
This tournament will help set the pathway towards Milan 2026.
“We have a very young team, and outcomes aside, we’re focusing on the little successes for ourselves as a group,’’ said Canada’s team captain Tyler McGregor.
‘’We understand that the growth process for our team looks a little different than in years past and I think that’s important to keep in mind.
“As an older guy, you have to help the young guys learn from games like that and help each other grow and reset.”
Wednesday’s semifinal game between Canada and Czechia, taking place at 1 p.m. ET, can be livestreamed HERE.
