2015-16 National Sledge Team

CANADA SETTLES FOR SILVER AT PAN-PACIFICS

JASON LA ROSE

BUFFALO, N.Y. – Tyler McGregor (Forest, Ont.) scored late in the third period, but Canada’s National Sledge Team was left with a silver medal after a 4-1 loss to the United States on Saturday in the gold medal game at the 2016 IPC Pac-Pacific Championship.

It’s the third time in the last year Canada has lost a final to the U.S.; the Americans won the IPC World Championship last May with a 3-0 win over the Canadians in Buffalo, and earned a 3-2 overtime victory at the 2016 World Sledge Hockey Challenge in Bridgewater, N.S., in January.

Canada’s offence came up dry, managing just 10 shots on goal, six of which came in the third period. The Canadians sat at just two shots before recording a pair on a power play very late in the second period.

After a scoreless first period, Declan Farmer got the scoring started six minutes into the second, knocking his own rebound past Canadian goaltender Corbin Watson (Kingsville, Ont.).

Chris Douglas doubled the American advantage at 8:18, beating Watson from a sharp angle, and Farmer maneuvered into the slot before snapping a shot to past Watson for his second of the period at 12:14, sending the U.S. to the dressing room up 3-0.

The Canadians did their best to mount a comeback in the third, outshooting the U.S. by a 6-3 margin in the final 15 minutes, but couldn’t crack the American defence.

McGregor finally solved Steve Cash with 3:39 to go, picking up a loose puck at the face-off dot and snapping a quick shot past the blocker of the U.S. netminder to get the Canadians on the board.

But they would get no closer, and Kevin McKee hit the empty net with 87 seconds left to cap the scoring.

Canadian captain Greg Westlake (Oakville, Ont.) finished as his team’s top scorer, recording three goals and three assists in four games.