Canada sledge hammered
Quicker Americans shut out Canadians 3- 0 to win gold- medal game berth
SOCHI — The 2014 edition of the Canadian sledge hockey team was supposed to be younger and deeper. Perhaps even a little bit faster.
But on Thursday night, the Canadians were Roadrunnered at Shayba Arena by a red, white and blue bullet train with a double- amputee teenager at the controls.
The Canadians were world champions and World Challenge champs in 2013, beating the reigning Paralympic champion U. S. both times. But in a semifinal matchup against their fiercest rivals, it was the Americans whose youth and speed proved too much for a Canadian team that hadn’t really been challenged in the qualification round.
The U. S. got two goals from 16- year- old Declan Farmer in a 3- 0 triumph and now face Russia in the gold medal match on Saturday after the host country beat Norway 4- 0 in the other semi. It’s a rematch of a thrilling Pool B game won 2- 1 by Russia in front of a raucous crowd at Shayba.
“They had a tough pool ... got to play high- intensity games,” Canadian captain Greg Westlake said of the Americans. “We didn’t get those same highintensity games.”
The Canadians rolled over Sweden 10- 1 and Norway 4- 0 and then completely outplayed the Czechs in a 1- 0 victory.
The Americans, led by their kid line of Farmer, 15- year- old Brody Roybal and Josh Pauls, 21, continually took away time and space from the Canadians and forced several errant passes.
Down 2- 0 after one period, the Canadians had a chance to get right back in it with a power play to open the second. But they couldn’t get the puck out of their own end for the first 90 seconds under a relentless forecheck from Josh Sweeney and Paul Schaus.
“We kept forcing them to come 200 feet,” said American coach Jeff Sauer. “And that takes a lot of jump out of them.”
The Americans, who had beat Canada two out of three games at a pre- Sochi exhibition series in Charlotte, N. C., in late January, frustrated the Canadians constantly with their quickness to the puck and on the forecheck.
“They have a lot of double amps and they’re a lot quicker than players that have one or two legs,” said Canadian head coach Mike Mondin. “We know that. The strength of our game is on good puck possession and moving the puck well and we fought the puck tonight.”
The Americans also took advantage of a shaky Corbin Watson in the Canadian net. He allowed Farmer’s first goal from the slot to sneak between his left arm and his body. He was caught napping on Farmer’s second goal, a shot from near the left side boards that went high short side. And he should have had Pauls’ early secondperiod shot along the ice.
Still, things could have been different if the Canadians had capitalized on some terrific chances in the first period.
Billy Bridges shot wide on a partial breakaway after a steal at the U. S. blue line. Westlake missed wide with a shot from the slot and Kevin Rempel couldn’t convert after a rebound off the end boards.
“We seemed to make the game really hard for ourselves,” said veteran forward Brad Bowden, who has yet to score in four games. “It’s tough when you feel like everything’s against you and you’ve got to work twice as hard to do something that’s really easy.
“It seemed like we were skating 100 miles to get a pass.”
Favoured to win gold in Vancouver four years ago, Canada was stunned by Japan in the semifinal and was uninspired in losing the bronze to Norway.
Bowden and Westlake both sounded like things will be different this time around.
“As much as I came here for gold ... the biggest regret that I have from Vancouver is that we walked away with nothing,” said Bowden. “We’ve got to show our pride and do Canada proud by coming home with at least a medal.”
“I’m hungry for that medal,” said Westlake. “I was crying after Vancouver, emotional. I’m a lot more together this time, older. You grow up and learn and you want those mementoes.
“The best way I know to say thank you to everyone who supported me is to take them home a bronze medal.”