CALGARY, Alta. – Hockey Canada announced Wednesday that the National Sledge Team will face off against the United States for a pair of games this Friday and Saturday at the ESL Sports Centre in Rochester, N.Y.

Fans can watch both games live at usahockey.fasthockey.com.

The rival teams last met in mid-September at the MasterCard Centre in Toronto, Ont., where they split two games. Canada took the first game 4-3 on September 11, while the U.S. came back with a 2-1 win on September 12.

The National Sledge Team has been practising in Rochester all week in preparation for the 2009 World Sledge Hockey Challenge in Charlottetown, P.E.I. from November 17-21, and for the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games in Vancouver, B.C. from March 12-21. Canada is defending champion at both the World Sledge Hockey Challenge and the Paralympic Winter Games.

“The team is looking forward to taking on the United States twice this weekend,” said Head Coach Jeff Snyder. “These games are sure to be highly competitive and will help us get ready for the upcoming World Sledge Hockey Challenge and next year’s Paralympic Winter Games.”

Eighteen players will participate in this weekend’s games against the Americans, but the roster that will represent Canada at the Paralympics will be whittled down to 15 before the Games begin.

The puck drops Friday at 7 p.m. ET and Saturday at 2 p.m. ET.

For information on sledge hockey and the 2009-10 National Sledge Team, visit hockeycanada.ca.