DORION ENDS CANADIAN SCORING DROUGHT IN SLEDGE TEAM LOSS

JASON LA ROSE

INDIAN TRAIL, N.C. – Marc Dorion (Bourget, Ont.) scored early in the first period, but Canada’s National Sledge Team dropped a 3-1 decision to the United States on Friday in the middle contest of a three-game series.

Dorion’s goal briefly tied the game 1-1, and ended a long Canadian scoring drought against the U.S.; Canada had gone 176:03 – almost four games – without scoring on its North American rivals.

Canada has now lost the first two games of the series; it was blanked 2-0 on Thursday.

The Americans came out with the momentum, and struck first just 2:24 in when Kevin McKee beat Canadian netminder Corbin Watson (Kingsville, Ont.) from in close.

But Dorion redirected a feed from Tyler McGregor (Forest, Ont.) only 54 seconds later, tying the game.

The U.S. retook the lead for good four minutes after that; McKee fired a shot from the face-off dot that went off the crossbar and in past Watson for his second of the opening period and a 2-1 advantage.

Canada pushed to find offence, but managed only seven shots in the opening two periods, and 12 overall.

The Canadians had their chances to tie the game in the third period, but Adam Page gave the U.S. some breathing room with 5:37 to go, beating Watson over the glove on a partial breakaway.

The series concludes with a Saturday matinee; the pucks at 12:30 p.m. ET/9:30 a.m. PT at the Extreme Ice Center just outside of Charlotte, N.C.