The new school year has arrived, and students in the Hockey Canada Skill Academy (HCSA) program are excited to be back in the classroom and on the ice. After a summer away, the beginning of the semester is the perfect time to understand the skill level of students so lead instructors can customize their lesson plans to match the need of participants.

“At the start of the year, it’s all about evaluating a variety of skills to get a sense of where your players are at, from skills they are good at [to] skills they are challenged with,” says Corey McNabb, director of NextGen development at Hockey Canada. “That helps to build out your plan moving forward from there as far as what you want to teach and how you want to teach it.”

What types of skills should be included in the evaluation? Basic skating techniques and puck control techniques are good to include because those skills are used in a variety of drills and during games. Going over these techniques in small-area settings is also beneficial.

Instructors can evaluate some skills based on the player’s position. For example, defenders can begin with skating skills, then add in the ability to transition and pivot before finally adding in using a puck and passing it between teammates.

“I think where we focused was not necessarily skills, but game transferable skills [were] top of mind [when developing evaluation plans for athletes],” says Dean Seymour, manager of NextGen/player development for Hockey Canada.

There are also some off-ice evaluations that instructors can do at the beginning of the semester. For example, the instructors could lead students through a 40-metre sprint, a 5-10-5 agility test, a standing long jump or a medicine ball throw. Each of these evaluations can be used as benchmarks as classes progress throughout the school year.

HCSA participants come from a variety of hockey backgrounds, with some students who have played for years and others who are new to the sport. The benefit of working on basic skills is that the drills are applicable to every participant.

“The older you get [or] the higher the level, you’ll just be able to execute them better,” McNabb says. “But there’s not [many evaluation skills] that I would say you can’t do with minor hockey age players.”

When it comes to lesson planning, McNabb recommends focusing on the key teaching and evaluation points, so instructors are looking at specific items within a drill rather than students completing the drill without a clear purpose. Planning out the semester in advance can also help keep instructors on track for achieving their success goals.

“Create a schedule and stick to that schedule, and try not to skip too far in advance,” Seymour says.

If students at an HCSA are involved in hockey outside of the program, it’s good practice for instructors to have open communication with local hockey association coaches.

“Talk to the coach and say, ‘Hey, what do you suggest? What do you think these [players] need to work on?’ They can try and collaborate that way,” McNabb explains.

For HCSAs with students that are new to the sport, repetition of drills over the semester can be a great way to work on basic hockey skills.

“Almost all drills involve turning left, turning right. They’re skating, there’s passing, they’re shooting. They are all designed to keep kids active,” McNabb says. “I think kids will get better just by doing [drills].”

Looking for inspiration for skills and drills to include in an HCSA practice plan? The Hockey Canada Network app has over 1,500 drills and more than 100 lesson plans to give coaches and players the tools to succeed. Drill Hub is another resource available to instructors, with access hundreds of drills and videos for free.

School is back in session, and that means another Hockey Canada Skills Academy (HCSA) season is underway. As students return to the classroom and to the ice this school year, here are a few resources instructors can incorporate into their HCSA curriculums.

Skills and Drills

The Hockey Canada Network app gives coaches and players the tools to succeed with drills, skills, videos, practice plans and articles on their tablet or phone. There are over 1,500 drills and more than 100 lesson plans available on the app, with more added throughout the season.

Drill Hub is another resource available to instructors to find skills and drills for students. It is a free resource for coaches and instructors to access hundreds of drills and videos. There are also pre-made practice plans available to download, along with templates for game rosters, player stats, scouting reports and more.

Looking for more drill inspiration? Hockey Canada will frequently post skill videos on its social channels that can be incorporated into practice plans. Search the hashtag #HCSkillsCoach and #HCGoalieCoach on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to find more drill videos to utilize on the ice.

Coaching Certification

All HCSA lead instructors need to be certified in the Respect in Sport for Activity Leaders program. They also need to have the Coach 2 – Coach Level from the National Coach Certification Program (NCCP) or, at a minimum, be trained in two of these instructional stream clinics: skating, developing defencemen, skills or small-area games.

However, there are opportunities to expand coaching certification to a higher level, including taking more instructional stream clinics or NCCP coaching programs such as Development 1 or High Performance 1. Hockey Canada’s coaching web page explains the difference between the levels and provides example coaching pathways. Instructors should connect with their Hockey Canada Member for more information on higher-level coaching certification.

HCSA Members

For more resources, be sure to log into the HCSA account on HockeyCanada.ca. Once logged in, instructors will have access to the HCSA curriculum, practice plans for on- and off-ice activities, support tips and links to previous HCSA seminars.

With over 150 HCSAs across the country, it is encouraged to reach out to lead instructors at other schools to share insights and tips. Local hockey associations in the area can be another great resource as lesson plans are finalized. For further support throughout the school year, contact Drew McLaughlin, manager of Member engagement and school programs.

Throughout the 2021-22 school year, a return to normalcy grew across Canada – and with it a clear majority of Hockey Canada Skills Academy (HCSA) school programs had the greenlight to return to pre-2020 practices.

Jaydee-Lynn McDougall, who just completed her first year as an educator at Technical Vocational (Tec-Voc) High School in Winnipeg, Man., is thrilled her year as dance instructor, physical education teacher and HCSA lead was a journey with very few restrictions.

“Where I picked the program up, we were at a point in Manitoba where you no longer had to wear masks on the ice, so it worked out very well,” the 26-year-old says. “The last two years, they had not been on the ice even though they could sign up for the skills academy, so they have been missing that integral part. That’s why they signed up for the class, right? To be on the ice to improve their hockey skills.”

The school year in many ways represented a refreshing return to the ‘old normal’ that existed before COVID-19 entered public consciousness.

Greg Masterson, the supervisor of learning services with the Calgary Catholic School District (CCSD), concurs that the return to normalcy has been great.

“It has been wonderful for our students and our coaches to be back on the ice with no more restrictions,” he says. “You can tell there is a lot of excitement on the ice during the classes.”

Resumption of classic HCSA programming – two on-ice sessions, dryland training and classroom work per week for most academies – has once again spawned the benefits long associated with these programs since its institution during the 2000-01 school year: heightened academic performance.

“The Hockey Canada Skills Academies promote student wellness, and when students are feeling well, they are ready to learn,” says Masterson. “I noticed when I was a vice principal at how organized these students were away from rink and they demonstrated an appreciation of how privileged they are to have this opportunity to participate in the skills academy.”

McDougall said it was evident that the 20 Grade 10-12 HCSA students she mentored transferred their discipline and focus from the ice and gym into the classroom.

“I think the program really helped students become re-engaged in school and perhaps re-engaged in [life] in general,” McDougall says. “I had some students join the academy later in the year who were not doing well academically and after they joined in November they improved in their classwork, passed all their courses and are moving on to the next grade.”

The first-year teacher says she was heartened to see so many of her HCSA students actively participate in Tutor Friday hours at Tec-Voc. She’s observed the students approach this opportunity to dive into their academics with a similar rigor to their efforts to improve their edgework, puck-handling and shooting.

Inclusivity and accessibility are other celebrated hallmarks of the HSCA learning model. McDougall, who played Prep hockey at St. Mary’s Academy during her high school years, experienced these rewarding dimensions of the program during her rookie instructor year.

“It was really interesting coming into this program. I did not know what to expect in my first year,” she says. “I had students playing in a league outside of school and I also had a Grade 11 student who had never been on skates because of COVID-19. It was incredible to see the skill development there. The gap got smaller and smaller throughout the year because of the amount of times we were able to go on the ice and practice those skills.

“I think the students when they are together all year really get to know each other and accept each other. They were all helping one another develop their skills in the stages they needed. We had more split drills at the beginning of the year where we would do skill work on one side of the ice and challenges on the other side. By the end we had our practices all together.”

With another year in the books, there’s lots to look forward to in 2022-23. Both Masterson and McDougall expressed a keenness to further enhance accessibility and inclusivity with increased sledge hockey sessions for students. Until then, there’s lots to celebrate about the successes of the 2021-22 school year.

The 19th Hockey Canada Skills Academy (HCSA) summer seminar is a return to traditional roots.

After staging virtual summits in 2020 and 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, over 70 hockey education delegates from all over the Great White North will convene at Markin MacPhail Centre in Calgary from July 7-9. HCSA program leaders will hear presentations from experts and engage in interactive exercises to attain insights on how to take their on-ice and classroom instruction to the next level.

Drew McLaughlin, Hockey Canada’s manager of membership engagement for school programs, says Hockey Canada is heartened and grateful that so many educators enthusiastically enrolled for this experience during their summer holidays.

“So many of them are teachers or have some role in the realm of academia day-to-day,” he says. “Understanding that this seminar is outside of the typical school year, their commitment to excellence and wanting to understand how to grow their program’s capacity to be more inclusive and beneficial is appreciated.”

Three expert facilitators will deliver the National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP) instructional stream components that will constitute the core programming of the seminar.

Darren Rommerdahl, a player development coach with the Calgary Flames, will guide shooting and scoring drills and impart on-ice and off-ice growth strategies that attendees could apply to their elementary or secondary school pupils.

Vanessa Hettinger, one of just two master skating instructors certified by Hockey Canada, is commissioned to guide the seminar’s on-ice skating presentation. A master instructor with Quantum Speed skating development company, Hettinger will also share student athlete development tips for players at and away from the rink.

Brett Dudar, a Hockey Canada trained skills coach and a High Performance 1 trained coach with Hockey Manitoba, has been tapped to demonstrate small-area skills and offer counsel about effective player and practice management. Dudar currently serves as the director of player development for the Evolution Hockey skills development organization in Winnipeg.

Gina Kingsbury, the director of hockey operations for Canada’s National Women’s Team, will be the keynote speaker. Ross McCain, the director of athletic performance and manager of the Duckett Performance Centre at Edge School in Calgary, will guide a presentation entitled A 360 Degree View on Student-Athlete Development.

Keen to foster strong Member participation in the seminar, McLaughlin said he is pleased four senior provincial officials are joining the 2022 event in a leadership capacity. The hockey leaders are BC Hockey’s manager of athlete development, Dave Cunning; Hockey Northwestern Ontario’s interim executive director and technical director, Jim Fetter; Hockey Manitoba’s director of hockey development, Bernie Reichardt; and Hockey New Brunswick’s technical director, Matt Vautour.

McLaughlin says this event, featuring a welcome return of the face-to-face networking missing the previous two years, is poised to be enriching.

“There is a strong appetite among our attendees and across our 155 school programs across the country to have access to this kind of professional development, education and an opportunity to gather with like-minded individuals to work on best practices and understand at a peer level of how different programs operate.”

For McLaughlin, this will be his first HCSA summer seminar. He looks forward to witnessing the thought-provoking ideas and innovations that will emerge as hockey experts and academic professionals pick each other’s brains. It is safe to suggest that each delegate in the room are wired with a desire to ensure the HCSA nationwide footprint remains vibrant for years to come.

The HCSA program will celebrate its 23rd anniversary during the 2022-23 school year. McLaughlin says he expects that the academy will be a course offering in approximately 160 schools. On average, 5,000 students participate in HCSA classes each year. A hallmark of every school program is its accessibility. Any student, regardless of hockey experience, is welcome to enroll in the unique educational experience.

Warm weather means school is out for summer. As time away from studies and the rink begins for Hockey Canada Skills Academy students across the country, the anticipation for the next hockey season has already begun.

But before the next school year begins, some students may be thinking about what they can do over the summer to improve their game. While individual skills can be worked on, there is also an opportunity to work on transferable skills by playing additional sports.

“Baseball [is] great for your hand-eye coordination,” says Katie Greenway, hockey development coordinator for Hockey Canada. “Throw a frisbee, go swimming, ride a bike, do all these different things that are going to make you a more well-rounded athlete, because the best hockey players are the best athletes.”

Although not every sport has a stick or a puck, the skills needed to play hockey can be found in almost any activity. Running and soccer can help with foot speed and mobility on the ice. Tennis and basketball work on stopping and starting.

“The simplicity of hand-eye coordination with golf and badminton and the racquet sports — [these are] all very transferable athletic movements that are required in forward, defence and goaltending,” says Dean Seymour, manager of NextGen/player development for Hockey Canada. “I don’t really think it matters what sport you play or activity you’re doing, just get out and do it.”

Playing in additional team sports can also further develop hockey IQ over the summer.

“A lot of kids, I think especially during the pandemic, were so focused on individual skill that they don’t know how to play now within a team system,” Greenway says. “I think multi-sport, especially team sports, help with that IQ piece of game situation and how to read and react to certain plays, which transfer back over into hockey: finding an open lane, leading someone with a pass, working with other people.”

Something else that can benefit a player’s game is taking a brief step back from hockey to give their body a well-deserved break after working hard all season long.

“When I played, I would take a month off in the summer and it would change everything,” Greenway says. “You missed the rink, you’re excited to come back… I think that’s a huge piece.”

“[You] see the new energy in the player,” Seymour adds. “They may be rusty for the first week, but it’s like riding a bike, it comes back.”

Taking a break in the summertime can also help to prevent burnout and limit overuse injuries from repetitive movements.

“We see a big problem right now with a lot of kids that no matter what sport they play, if that’s the only sport they do, that overuse injuries are starting to onset earlier,” says Corey McNabb, director of NextGen development at Hockey Canada. “By promoting other activities, you’re going to not only balance the mental side of things, but you’re going to balance the physical side of things.”

After taking some time off, those looking to better their hockey play could try isolating specific skills over the summer. For example, a player could work on stick-handling in the garage, or a goaltender could work on catching with a glove. Students can also check out the Hockey Canada Network for more drills and resources.

However, a brief break from the rink to enjoy the sun outside can be exactly what a player needs to refresh and refocus before preparing for tryouts in the fall.

“It’s important to step away from the game a little bit and just be a kid, relax and enjoy the summer,” Greenway says.

GAME STATISTICS | LIVE GAME BLOG

BEIJING, China – Canada’s Paralympic Hockey Team finished with a silver medal at the 2022 Paralympic Winter Games after falling 5-0 to the United States in the gold medal game on Sunday.

• Liam Hickey (St. John’s, N.L.) led all Canadian skaters in shots on goal (four) and time on ice (35:01).
• Billy Bridges (Summerside, P.E.I.) and Greg Westlake (Oakville, Ont.) recorded two shots apiece.
• Dominic Larocque (Quebec City, Que.) made 15 saves.
• The United States outshot Canada 20-16.
• Captain Tyler McGregor (Forest, Ont.) was Canada’s leading scorer, finishing eighth in tournament scoring with eight points (5-3—8).
• Adam Dixon (Midland, Ont.) led Canada during the tournament in average time on ice (26:34), plus/minus (+6) and assists (five).

Quotes:
“I am very proud of our team and our staff. I am proud of the effort of all 17 players on our roster, and I am grateful for all the Canadians that supported us both in Beijing and back home. It is a tough loss, but we can look at the big picture and appreciate the process and sacrifices we made to be in this position to represent our country. At the end of the day, we played hard and gave it our best, but unfortunately it did not go our way today.”
- Head coach Ken Babey (Calgary, Alta.) on the gold medal game

“It is always difficult to lose in a gold medal game. After everything our team has been through over the past four years, and especially over the past two years, we never stopped believing in each other. I could not be more proud of every player in our locker room, as well as our entire staff, for the work we have put in to get to this point. It is tough to fall short of a Paralympic gold medal, but we need to hold our heads high and be proud of the way we competed and represented Canada.”
- McGregor on the belief amongst his team

“It is an honour to wear the Maple Leaf, and despite not getting gold today, I cannot say enough good things about this team and the way we have improved the last four years. We have gone through an incredible journey to get to this moment, and every single person on our team is so deserving of this medal. It may not be the medal we hoped for, but we can be very proud of the fact that we all stepped up to the best of our ability to make contributions both on and off the ice. I am just so proud of the entire team.”
- Westlake on winning silver

For more information on Hockey Canada and Canada’s Paralympic Hockey Team, please visit HockeyCanada.ca, or follow through social media on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

With an intensive training schedule and the sole focus of achieving their goal to take home a gold medal, the little moments athletes experience on their road to the Paralympics can easily blur together.

But for Greg Westlake, who is participating in his fifth Paralympic Winter Games, he’s taking the opportunity to soak in every moment. That’s because the 19-year veteran of Canada’s National Para Hockey Team has announced that he will be retiring at the end of Beijing 2022.

“I’m really happy that I came out ahead of it and said that this was going to be my last one,” Westlake says. “It’s kind of freed me up and allowed me to really just enjoy all the little things.”

The realization that he is nearing the end of his career really sunk in a few days before Canada’s Paralympic Hockey Team left for Beijing. After the team’s last practice in Calgary, the gravity of the moment hit the 35-year-old while he was in the dressing room.

“It was my last ice time in Canada,” he says. “The practice ended, and I was just sitting there like ‘I don’t know when I’m going to play hockey in Canada again.’”

Beijing 2022 ties a bow on an accomplished career with Team Canada. Westlake joined the para hockey program in 2003 and has played as a goaltender, a defenceman and a forward. He won gold at his first Paralympic Games in 2006 and has since won two more Paralympic medals: bronze in 2014 and silver in 2018.

At the beginning of the 2010-11 season, Westlake was named captain and served in that role for eight years. In IPC World Para Hockey Championship action, he has won three gold medals (2008, 2013, 2017), two silver (2015, 2019) and two bronze (2009, 2012).

On top of those accolades, Westlake was honoured with leading Team Canada into the Opening Ceremony of Beijing 2022 as one of the country’s flag bearers. His eyes are set on winning gold in his final competition, but he also hopes to experience the Games from the perspective of his younger teammates.

“I want to live the Games through some other people's eyes a little bit, you know, the guys who it's their first time walking into an Opening Ceremony,” he says. “I think, for me, that's really fun and exciting. Seeing a 19-, 20-year-old kid just like, ‘Greg, aren't you excited about the opening ceremonies?’ You see that excitement; it makes you young again. It makes you feel like it's your first time and that really excites me.”

As a member of the national team for almost two decades, the Oakville, Ont., native has had the opportunity to be teammates with many para hockey players. As the team evolved, his leadership style also evolved to best serve his teammates. Looking back, Westlake says he was a boisterous, energy guy when he first joined the team, but he has a calmer approach now. He prefers conversations over coffee or being a source of advice.

“Every single team is different,” he says. “They’re going to have new dynamics, new wants and needs and things that it takes for that team to be successful. You got to be a bit of a chameleon, you got to be able to blend into where you’re needed most and do that role to the best of your ability. I try my best to do that.”

For younger players, like Branden Sison and Anton Jacobs-Webb, who looked up to Westlake as a role model, the ability to be teammates with him is an exciting opportunity.

“It's pretty surreal, to be honest,” says Sison, who was inspired watching Westlake on TV at the 2010 Paralympics in Vancouver. “You never really think you'll be seeing a guy on TV and then getting the chance to play with him on a line or as a D-pairing or whatever. But he's a really, really amazing player.”

As a teenager, Jacobs-Webb met Westlake at the Cruisers Cup in Brampton, Ont. After playing his games in the junior division, he watched Westlake compete in the elite division and stuck around after the game to have him sign a pair of gloves and take a photo together.

“It was kind of a big moment. I was pretty nervous,” Jacobs-Webb says. “My parents were like, ‘Yeah, go talk to him’ when I didn’t really want to. But I’m really happy I went to talk to him in the end.”

“He was a shy kid,” Westlake says of Jacobs-Webb. “What I enjoyed about meeting him was he was a fan of the sport, like he knew who I was.”

The teammates have come a long way since then, but the impact Westlake had on Jacobs-Webb while he dreamed of wearing the Maple Leaf as a kid remains to this day.

“Of course, we’re teammates, we’ve played together for four years, but there’s still a tiny bit [of me that] can’t get over it. It’s still Greg. I watched pretty much all of his YouTube videos,” Jacobs-Webb says. “He’s got a big name and it’s crazy to play with him.”

On the ice, Westlake is known for his competitive spirit and the way he grinds and battles for pucks. His ability to adapt throughout the years also stands out to his teammates.

“I compare him to LeBron James; he’s well-versed in the sport and he changes his game play throughout the years to adapt to the new style of play that we have,” Sison says. “It’s a very fast style of hockey nowadays. He’s been able to keep up with that throughout the years and change his style of play. Also going from defence to forward, he’s a very versatile player.”

A unique aspect of Canada’s Paralympic Hockey Team is the mix of veterans and rookies—Sison and Jacobs-Webb are among seven players making their Paralympic debuts in Beijing. With a veteran like Westlake closing the book on his para hockey career, it symbolizes a passing of the torch to the next generation.

“I don’t want to say goodbye to them just yet because they’re that valuable to us and to the team. But the next generation is coming, and we’re looking pretty strong,” Sison says. “I think they’ll be very proud of the direction that [Canada’s National Para Hockey Team] is going. I think they’re leaving it in good hands, and they’ll be happy with the results that we’re going to bring in the future.”

“I think it’s a great opportunity for us,” Jacobs-Webb adds. “We get a bit of mentorship, we get to follow their leadership and we get to learn a lot from them. By the time they’re gone, I think we’re going to be pretty well set. We have a good core.”

“The biggest difference I see is more and more guys have the ability to make a living being an athlete representing their country and train full-time. That was something that in the past, it just wasn’t there,” he says. “When we can get to the point where every single guy on the team, this is what they do, that will be great.”

Another goal for Westlake is for para hockey to gain more exposure and garner more fans to continue to push the sport forward.

“I can only speak from my experience; I can’t speak for everyone. But as a kid growing up with two artificial legs, I never saw anybody that looked like me on TV. I never saw anybody in a prominent hockey role that looked like me,” Westlake says. “It was hard for me to have these goals and ambitions and dreams in hockey because I just didn’t think it was possible.

“When you look at 10 to 15 years down the road, I see more games on TV for us, not just one a year. I see way more advocacy, just more representation.”

Right now, Westlake is focused on finishing his career on a golden note in Beijing. After the Paralympics are done and his playing career is complete, he hopes to stay involved in the hockey world.

“I don’t know exactly what that is yet, but I love player development. I love scouting. I love the management side,” he says. “As it pertains to this program—anything, anytime. It’s a yes for me all day.”

His time wearing the Maple Leaf on his sweater may be complete, but his legacy in para hockey and his passion for the sport will live on.

“I just love the game. I love the team. It’s been my favourite thing since I was three years old and I get emotional talking about it,” he says. “I hope people know that in the times when it wasn’t the biggest sport in the world, I was there trying to do my best to promote it and trying to leave it in a better place than I found it.

“I just have a lot of love for the program. And I hope people know that.”

TV: CBC | Stream: CBC.ca

Four years in the making, Canada’s Paralympic Hockey Team gets its rematch with the United States, looking to dethrone the three-time defending Paralympic gold medallists and return to the top of the podium for the first time since 2006.

LAST GAME

Canada faced off with South Korea in its semifinal, cruising to an 11-0 win. Tyler McGregor celebrated his birthday with four goals and two assists, Billy Bridges netted a hat trick to bring his career total to 199 goals and Liam Hickey added a goal and four helpers as the Canadians outshot the Koreans by a whopping 43-3 margin.

The Americans matched Canada’s offensive effort in their semifinal against host China, posting an 11-0 win of their own. Brody Roybal paced the offence with four goals and two assists, while Declan Farmer had two goals and four helpers. The U.S. outshot the Chinese 37-6.

LAST MEETING

Canada and the U.S. met in the prelim opener on March 5, and the Canadians managed just nine shots on goal in a 5-0 loss. Dominic Larocque made 17 saves through the first two periods before Adam Kingsmill came in for the third, making four stops. Farmer led the red, white and blue with a goal and three assists.

WHAT TO WATCH

The Canadian coaching staff has been making slight adjustments to the lineup throughout the Games, the most significant coming in the semifinal with Liam Hickey moved back to defence. The Newfoundlander spent most of the past two seasons on the back end before returning to forward this year, but the change seemed to work as Hickey put up five points in the first two periods against the Koreans. Offence was lacking in the opener against the U.S., will this move be enough to ignite it with gold on the line?

For the U.S., it begins and ends with Farmer. The overtime hero in the gold medal game four years ago, the 24-year-old has posted a tournament-leading 15 points in three games in Beijing – four against Canada, five against Korea and the six against China. Can he step up again when the stakes are highest?

A LOOK BACK

It’s the 107th meeting between the Canada and the United States as the Paralympics end the way they started.

Canada’s prelim loss dropped its record against its cross-border rivals to 0-4-1 at the Paralympics. That includes the heartbreaking OT defeat in 2018, and a 3-0 semifinal setback four years before that.

Dating back to those 2014 Games, Canada is 1-10 against its cross-border rivals in medal-round games. The lone win came in the gold medal game at the 2017 IPC World Para Hockey Championship, when Tyler McGregor scored twice in a 4-1 victory. Wins have been a little easier to come by in exhibitions or preliminary-round games, including the most recent 4-2 victory during a two-game series in St. Louis last October.

All-time record: Canada leads 59-46-1
Canada goals: 223
United States goals: 189

GAME STATISTICS | LIVE GAME BLOG

BEIJING, China – Canada’s Paralympic Hockey Team has booked its ticket to the gold medal at the 2022 Paralympic Winter Games, defeating South Korea 11-0 in the semifinals on Friday.

• Tyler McGregor (Forest, Ont.) led the offence with four goals and two assists on his 28th birthday.
• Billy Bridges (Summerside, P.E.I.) recorded a hat trick to reach the 50-point plateau at the Paralympics and give him 199 career goals with Team Canada.
• Liam Hickey (St. John’s, N.L) chipped in with a goal and four assists.
• Garrett Riley (Brantford, Ont.) scored his first goal with Team Canada.
• Greg Westlake (Oakville, Ont.) and Anton Jacobs-Webb (Gatineau, Que.) rounded out the scoring.
• Dominic Larocque (Quebec City, Que.) made one save through the first two periods before giving way to Adam Kingsmill (Smithers, B.C.), who made two stops in the third.
• Canada outshot South Korea 43-3.

Next Game:
Canada vs. United States or China (gold medal game) – Saturday, March 12 (11:05 p.m. ET/8:05 p.m. PT)

Quotes:
“We need to be consistent and keep doing what we have been doing. We need to rely on our defensive structure to shut down scoring opportunities from either team we could play in the gold medal game. When we shut other teams down defensively, we are able to create offence, and that is what we have been preaching to our players. For the most part, we have been very consistent with that, and we have continued to get better every day. We are excited for the chance to play for a Paralympic gold medal.”
- Head coach Ken Babey (Calgary, Alta.) on playing in the gold medal game

“I am proud of the way our group played today. We had contributions from everyone; even guys that will not show up on the scoresheet still made an impact by blocking shots and killing penalties. Everyone is feeling really good about themselves and about the team, and that is very important heading into a gold medal game. Regardless of the outcome of the second semifinal, we need to be prepared for a tough game and be ready to rise to the challenge.”
- McGregor on today’s performance

“At first I could not believe that [my shot] went in. It was such an unbelievable feeling to get my first goal, but an even better feeling to be going to the gold medal game. It means the world to me to be able to compete for gold. It has been a long journey, and this group has been resilient through everything the past four years, and I am excited that this team has this incredible opportunity in front of us.”
- Riley on scoring his first goal and playing for a gold medal

For more information on Hockey Canada and Canada’s Paralympic Hockey Team, please visit HockeyCanada.ca, or follow through social media on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

TV: CBC | Stream: CBC.ca

Canada’s Paralympic Hockey Team will face a familiar foe as it takes on South Korea for the second time in four days at the 2022 Paralympic Winter Games, this time in the semifinals.

LAST GAME

Canada earned a bye to the semifinals with its 6-0 win over the Koreans to close out the preliminary round on Monday. James Dunn recorded scored a hat trick and added an assist to lead the bounce-back offensive performance the team needed after a shutout loss to the U.S. Liam Hickey, Billy Bridges and Tyler McGregor had the other Canadian goals, and Dominic Larocque made four saves for the shutout.

The Koreans moved into the semis with a 4-0 win over Italy in its quarterfinal. Dong Shin Jang opened the scoring just 3:30 in, Seung Hwan Jung added insurance late in the second period, and Jang and Jong Kyung Lee finished it off in the third to send the 2018 bronze medallists to the final four for the second Games in a row.

LAST MEETING

As noted above, Canada’s prelim finale came against the Koreans, a 6-0 win. Canada dominated from start to finish, outshooting the Asian side 36-4 and getting plenty of opportunities to work on its special teams.

WHAT TO WATCH

Is the Canadian offence back on track? Coming off its 5-0 loss to the U.S., Canada was anxious to get its big guns going against the Koreans. Hickey, Bridges and McGregor got into the act, and with Dunn continuing to show why he’s one of the best young players in the world, a repeat performance in the semifinals would give the Canadians plenty of momentum heading into a potential gold medal game.

Through the Koreans’ first three games, Lee has been the story. The goaltender made 26 stops in a tournament-opening loss to the Americans and was terrific against Canada in a 31-save effort. In the quarterfinal against Italy, he made three saves before giving way to Hyuk Jun Choi after the first period. Lee will need to be the Koreans’ best player again if they hope to spring the upset.

A LOOK BACK

This will be the 36th meeting between Canada and South Korea.

Canada handed the Koreans a semifinal loss on home ice in 2018 with a resounding 7-0 win. Four of the five Canadian goal scorers remain on the roster (Hickey, Greg Westlake, Bridges and McGregor) plus Larocque, who needed to make only one save in that win in PyeongChang.

The game will mark the sixth meeting of the season between the teams; Canada swept a four-game series in Bridgewater, N.S., in November, outscoring the Koreans 31-1.

All-time record: Canada leads 35-0
Canada goals: 214
South Korea goals: 15