2018 Canadian Tire Para Hockey Cup

CANADA BLANKS KOREA TO OPEN PARA CUP

JESSICA GOWANS

LONDON, Ont. – Tyler McGregor (Forest, Ont.) scored a goal in every period to complete the hat trick, and added an assist to help lead Canada to a 7-0 shutout victory over Korea in the opening game Sunday at the 2018 Canadian Tire Para Hockey Cup.

James Dunn (Wallacetown, Ont.) also had a four-point night (one goal, three assists). In all, 11 Canadians hit the score sheet.

The first goal from McGregor was also the opening goal of the game, and the only goal in the first period. Corbyn Smith (Monkton, Ont.) fed him the puck from the corner and he made no mistake, firing it top shelf from the left face-off dot to beat goaltender Jae Woong Lee.

Dunn stretched the lead to two 55 seconds into the second period. With Canada on the man advantage, he corralled the rebound off a shot from Billy Bridges (Summerside, P.E.I.), and poked it past Lee.

McGregor’s second of the game was a shorthanded tally. Dunn forced a turnover at the blue-line to spring himself on a breakaway. His initial shot was stopped, but McGregor flipped in the rebound to make it 3-0.

Canada got a third goal in the frame from Smith, who finished off a pretty passing play in front of the net from Dunn and Liam Hickey (St. John’s, N.L.).

McGregor capped off the hat trick midway through the third period. With Korea hemmed in its own zone, McGregor’s shot found a seam through a mass of bodies in front of the Korean net.

Thirteen seconds later it was Micah Kovacevich (Edmonton, Alta.) who buried a cross-ice pass from Bridges for his first international goal.

Cody Dolan (Calgary, Alta.) had the final goal of the night, finishing off a tic-tac-toe set-up from Zach Lavin (Okotoks, Alta.) and Anton Jacobs-Webb (Gatineau, Que.).

Canada was dominant, outshooting Korea 7-0 in the first period and finishing the contest with a 30-1 advantage. Dominic Larocque (Quebec City, Que.) needed to make just a single save for the shutout.

Preliminary-round play continues Monday when the Canadians take on the United States (7 p.m. ET).