Canada sledge squad throws down on Japan
They were game, at least early on, but even the staunchest Japanese fans must have known they weren’t going to see much of one on Thursday night at the WinSport Ice Complex.
Canada advanced to the finals of the 2012 world sledge hockey challenge, decimating Japan for the second time in four nights, this time in a semifinal meeting by a score of 100. On Monday night, Canada was an 11-0 winner.
“We came here to get into the gold medal game and so we’ve got that opportunity,” noted Mike Mondin, Canada’s head coach.
As expected from the tourney’s onset, the Canadians will meet the USA in Saturday’s final. The Americans outshot Norway 40-8, en route to a 4-1 victory in their semifinal earlier on Thursday, Daniel McCoy scoring a pair for the victors. Gold medal game time on Saturday is 5 p.m., while the bronze encounter is slated for noon at the Markin MacPhail Centre.
“We have to look after our rest, our nutrition and our mental focus,” Mondin continued, alluding to preparation for the final. “We know what they’re all about and we’re certainly going to have to be ready.”
The ice was undeniably tilted toward the Japanese end throughout last night’s game. Canada’s initial opportunity came at 5:37 of the first period, when Brad Bowden had a rare penalty shot, but his try went wide and goalie Mitsuru Nagase could breathe a sigh of relief. Alas, that serenity would not last, as Canada would fire a total of 17 shots at the Japanese net.
“OK, it kind of got a little stuck in my jersey,” groaned Bowden, who finished with two goals and an assist. “I was very confident and I had my stick ready to go, but it hit my sled or my jersey a little bit and I was a quarter of an inch off. I felt like a fool because the goalie completely bit.”
The home team scored three straight before the end of the 15 minutes, including a pair of short-handed tallies just 16 seconds apart. Japan, meanwhile, managed a solitary shot on net in the first, that coming at 6:11.
In the second, Canada would score seven times. The good news for Japan? The third period was scoreless. When all was said and done, Canada tallied four times with a man down and outshot the opposition 36-5.
“I hope it translates into the next game,” smiled Greg Westlake, who had five points, including two goals. “I can’t wait to play them (the U.S.) on Saturday. We don’t like each other; they may be decent guys, but they’re in the way of what we want and we have to go through them.”
The stats are indeed moot unless Canada can defeat the USA once again and claim the 2012 challenge. The teams met in the round-robin portion on Wednesday night, with the locals coming away with a 2-1 win. “We love them and sometimes we hate them, but it’s the biggest rivalry, CanadaU.S.,” Bowden pointed out. “If we didn’t have each other, it would be pretty tough. You have to appreciate the competitive level. “
Other Canadians had monster games, including Dominic Larocque with two goals and an assist, Billy Bridges with one and two helpers, Dixon scoring once and adding three assists, and 18-year-old Tyler McGregor scoring his first with the squad.