The road to the World Para Hockey Championship comes to the home of the
World Para Hockey Championship as
Canada’s National Para Hockey Team opens up a three-game series against the United States on Wednesday
afternoon.
Last Meeting & Last Game
Less than three weeks ago, on March 16, Canada closed out its three-game
set with the Americans in Minot, North Dakota,
dropping a 5-2 decision in Game 3. The Canadians played their best game of the series, twice erasing U.S.
leads through Vincent Boily and Liam Hickey, but a pair of goals 12 seconds
apart in the final minute of the second period broke open a tie game for
the Americans. Adam Kingsmill was terrific again in the Canadian goal,
making 24 saves.
What to Watch
The Canadians made a few roster changes from the group that played in
Minot, including between the pipes. The puck-stopping trio in Calgary
includes veteran Corbin Watson, the all-time leader in games played (84),
wins (62) and shutouts (29) by a Team Canada goaltender who hasn’t appeared
at a major international event since the
2019 Para Hockey Cup. The Kingsville, Ontario native, a two-time Paralympian (2014, 2018) and
two-time world champion, will share the crease with incumbent Adam
Kingsmill, who appeared in all three games in Minot, and Tyson Rietveld.
For the Americans, it’s (still) all about Declan Farmer. Widely considered
the best player in the world, Farmer certainly played like it in Minot,
scoring five goals and adding four assists across the three games to lead
the U.S. to the sweep. The nine points gives the 26-year-old 38 points
(23-15—38) in 13 games across all competitions this season, with 23
(15-8—23) coming in seven games against Canada.
Coming Back to Calgary
The series will serve 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 64-59-1 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 64-59-1 (13-8 in OT/SO)
Canada goals: 241
United States goals: 269