2016-17 National Sledge Team

CANADA BLANKS KOREA TO OPEN PARA TOURNAMENT IN ITALY

JASON LA ROSE

TURIN, Italy – Liam Hickey (St. John’s, N.L.) and Kevin Sorley (Petersburg, Ont.) scored two goals apiece, leading Canada’s National Sledge Team to a 4-0 win over Korea in the opening game for both Monday at the 2017 International Para Hockey Tournament.

The Canadians are the defending champions, having gone unbeaten to win gold in Turin in December 2015.

Dominic Larocque (Quebec City, Que.) was perfect in the Canadian goal, turning aside all eight shots he faced to record his sixth shutout in 15 career appearances, and improve his record to 9-1.

Sorley got the scoring started towards the end of the first period, taking advantage of a Canadian power play and finishing a set-up from Bryan Sholomicki (Winnipeg, Man.) to put Canada up 1-0 after one.

Hickey doubled the lead just past the 10-minute mark of the second period, and made it 3-0 less than four minutes into the third with Canada on another power play.

Sorley capped the scoring with 16 seconds to go; he doubled his career goal total in the game, having scored two goals in his first 24 games with the national team.

Canada was perfect on the power play, and kept the Koreans goalless on their three chances.

The Canadians return to the ice at the Palaghiaccio Tazzoli on Tuesday, facing off against the host Italians (4 a.m. ET/1 a.m. PT), before closing out the preliminary round Wednesday against Norway (9 a.m. ET/6 a.m. PT).