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U.S. National Sled Team Defeats Canada 3-2 in Overtime at Para Hockey Cup

By USA Hockey, 11/30/22, 8:45PM EST

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The U.S. will take on Italy in the semifinal game tomorrow at 2:00 p.m. ET

BRIDGEWATER, Nova Scotia – Declan Farmer (Tampa, Fla.) tallied the game-winning goal in overtime to lift the U.S. National Sled Team to a 3-2 victory over Canada in its final preliminary-round game of the Para Hockey Cup at Lunenburg County Lifestyle Centre in Bridgewater, Nova Scotia. 

In the waning seconds of the third period, Josh Misiewicz (La Grange, Ill.) found Farmer for a breakaway pass, but as Farmer moved towards the net, he was taken down by a Canadian defender, drawing a penalty that carried into overtime. Just 1:16 into the extra frame, Farmer found the back of the net with a low stick-side shot to give Team USA the victory.

With the win, the U.S. concludes preliminary round play with a 2-1-0-0 (W-OTW-OTL-L) record and will take on Italy in the semifinals tomorrow (Dec. 1) at 2:00 p.m. ET. 

“I thought we had a really strong start to the game,” said David Hoff (Bottineau, N.D.), head coach of the U.S. National Sled Team, “The second period didn’t go our way, but I was proud of the way we were able to battle back, and we made a play at the end to win the game.”

In the opening moments of the game, goaltender Jen Lee (San Francisco, Calif.) shut down a scoring chance for Canada, diving across the crease and swatting away a 2-on-0 opportunity to keep the game scoreless. 

GAME PHOTOS

The two teams remained locked in physical defensive play through the opening five minutes, with numerous bodychecks in the neutral zone from Roybal and Jack Wallace (Franklin Lakes, N.J.). 

At the 5:51 mark in the opening stanza, Wallace delivered the puck from the half wall to Misiewicz in the slot, who fought through traffic and buried the opening goal, his first of the tournament. The U.S. doubled its lead with just under three minutes to play in the period, when Joseph Woodke (Nashville, Tenn.) forced an offensive-zone turnover and found David Eustace (Haverhill, Mass.), who fired a shot into the top corner to put the U.S. up 2-0 at 12:08. 

Early in the second, Canada cut the lead to 2-1 when Tyler McGregor cut towards the net, received a pass from the blue line, and scored 1:02 into the stanza. McGregor then tied the game at two minutes later when he gathered a loose puck in the neutral zone and scored on a breakaway. 

Lee made several key stops for the U.S. late in the second, including a diving save where he denied a Canada opportunity from point blank range with his outstretched arm in the final minute.  

A back-and-forth third period proved to have limited scoring chances for either side, and neither team found the scoresheet. Canada was whistled for a penalty in the final moments of the period. 

The U.S. began four-on-four, sudden-death overtime on the man advantage, and created a number of scoring chances early. Following an offensive-zone clear, Roybal carried the puck up the left-wing side, sliding a drop pass to Farmer, who then crossed the ice before sneaking a low pass past Canada’s netminder, for the game-winning goal.

The full U.S. event schedule, along with live streaming links, is available here.


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Hayley Scamurra, in the USA Hockey navy jersey, moves the puck along the boards with a Canada opponent right at her back