Hockey - James Dunn (Wallacetown, Ont.) and Tyler McGregor (Forest, Ont.) scored power-play goals in the second period, and Dominic Larocque (Quebec City, Que.) made the game safe in the third, leading Canada's National Para Hockey Team to a 2-1 victory over the United States on Saturday at the 2021 IPC World Para Hockey Championship.
Larocque ended with 15 saves, including seven in the third period as the Americans attempted to tie the game late, but the Canadians held on to stop a seven-game losing skid against their cross-border foes.
Even though neither side had played a competitive game in 491 days, the contest got off to a frantic start. The teams traded opportunities, with Billy Bridges (Summerside, P.E.I.) barely missing a chance to start the scoring when he couldn't knock down a rebound in close.
As the Americans were down a player early in the second, special teams were called upon. Leading the wing rush, Liam Hickey (St. John's, N.L.) delivered a beautiful feed to Dunn, who completed the play with a gorgeous tap past American goalie Steve Cash at the conclusion of a power play.
Five minutes later, the Americans were back in the box, giving the Canadians another opportunity with the man advantage. McGregor would score again, this time on the rush. At 9:35 of the second period, Greg Westlake (Oakville, Ont.) swerved in front of the net, forcing three American players to collide, clearing the way for the Canadian captain, who blasted a vicious wrist shot under the bar to put Canada up by a pair.
The lads in red and white would maintain their two-goal advantage until the third quarter, when both teams began to exhibit signs of exhaustion as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic's extended off-season.
Brody Roybal scored less than a minute into the third period to reduce Canada's advantage to 2-1.
The Canadians pushed to reclaim their two-goal lead, but a penalty halfway through the second period gave the Americans a boost. Roybal had the greatest opportunity, positioning himself below the face-off dot with a clear shot, but Larocque swatted it away.
Canada moved to 58-43-1 all-time versus the United States with the victory. In addition to snapping a seven-game losing streak, Canada defeated the United States in the World Championships for the first time since the gold medal game in 2017.
Canada returns to the ice on Sunday (5:30 a.m. ET/2:30 a.m. PT) to face South Korea in a winner-take-all matchup.
