Canada’s National Para Hockey Team is back to action Friday night on home ice, looking to bounce back from a series-opening loss when it takes on the United States in Game 2 at WinSport Arena.

Last Meeting & Last Game

The Canadians opened the series with a 5-1 loss to the U.S. in a Wednesday matinee. Corbyn Smith provided the offence with a power-play goal with less than two minutes to go, and Corbin Watson was terrific in his first Team Canada start in more than four years, finishing with 23 saves. The game was much closer than the final score indicates; the Americans scored three times in 24 seconds late in the third period – including an empty-netter – to pull away.

What to Watch

Smith has an opportunity to play his way into a major role as the season winds towards the 2024 World Para Hockey Championship on home ice. The Monkton, Ontario, native has been a fixture in the Team Canada lineup since 2016, contributing 42 points (15-27—42) in 79 career games. And with the Canadians down more than a few bodies in this series – they had just seven forwards and four defencemen dressed for Game 1 – Smith is taking advantage of his opportunity. Skating on the second line alongside Adam Dixon and Vincent Boily, he recorded his first goal since last year’s Para Worlds in Moose Jaw.

The dynamic duo of Declan Farmer and Brody Roybal continues to cause nightmares for the Canadians; they combined for six more points in the series opener, including goals from Farmer just 11 seconds apart in the dying minutes to put the exclamation point on the victory. Farmer (17-10—27) and Roybal (6-7—13) have been lights out against Canada this season, posting 40 points between them in just eight games.

Coming Back to Calgary

The series is serving as a final tuneup for both teams ahead of Para Worlds, which comes to WinSport Arena at Canada Olympic Park from May 4-12, the second year in a row the world championship will be played on Canadian ice.

Ticket packages are on sale now, with a full-tournament package (20 games) starting at $99, a medal-round package (six games) starting at $75, and single-game tickets starting at $15.

A Look Back

The head-to-head history between the Canadians and Americans is very close, with the U.S. holding a narrow 65-59-1 advantage.

The Americans have had the upper hand as of late; the last win for Canada came back on Oct. 29, 2021, when Anton Jacobs-Webb scored the winner 13 seconds into the third period, helping the Canadians earn a 4-2 victory in the opener of a two-game series in the St. Louis suburbs.

All-time record: United States leads 65-59-1 (13-8 in OT/SO)
Canada goals: 242
United States goals: 274