Canada beats U.S. for para gold
GANGENUNG, KOREA, REPUBLIC OF — Canada defeated the United States, 4-1, on Thursday to capture a gold medal at the world para hockey championship.
Tyler McGregor of Forest, Ont., scored twice while Brad Bowden of Orton, Ont., and Liam Hickey of St. John’s, N.L., also scored.
The win came after the Canadians lost to their archrivals in the round robin.
“This is an outstanding group of young men, and I’m very proud of our team,” said head coach Ken Babey. “We played smart, fast and unselfish — the Canadian way. We took hits to make plays and stuck to the game plan.”
Formerly known as sledge hockey, the sport has recently been renamed para ice hockey.
Dominic Larocque of Quebec City made 12 saves for the win.
“This is an incredible experience,” said Larocque. “To be able to go for gold in the final against the United States has been my dream for the last three years. And to have a chance to bring back gold as a world champion for the second time makes me so proud.”
While Canada has won four gold medals at the biennial tournament, this is their first since 2013.