2015-16 National Sledge Team

MCGREGOR RACKS UP FIVE POINTS, CANADA FINISHES PERFECT PRELIMS IN TURIN

JASON LA ROSE

TURIN, Italy – Tyler McGregor (Forest, Ont.) had two goals and three assists, Dominic Larocque (Quebec City, Que.) earned another shutout and Canada’s National Sledge Team capped an unblemished preliminary round at the International Ice Sledge Hockey Tournament with an 8-0 win over Norway on Wednesday.

The Canadians went 3-0 in the round robin, outscoring their opposition 21-1.

McGregor, Dominic Cozzolino (Mississauga, Ont.) and Adam Dixon (Midland, Ont.) finished with two goals apiece for Canada, while Mathieu Trudeau (Candiac, Que.) and Billy Bridges (Summerside, P.E.I.) also put their names on the scoresheet.

The goals for Cozzolino and Trudeau were their first with the national team.

"We had a lot of guys step up tonight,” McGregor said after the game. “All of our wins so far have come by committee, and it is important to have everybody playing their best heading into the medal round."

Dixon had the lone goal of the first period, finishing a set-up from Bridges just 4:23 in, but the floodgates opened in the second period, led by the dynamic duo of McGregor and Cozzolino.

After Trudeau made it 2-0 at the 4:32 mark of the middle frame, McGregor and Cozzolino added two goals each in a span of 10:11, pushing the Canadian advantage to 6-0 after 30 minutes.

Cozzolino’s second goal, with just one second left in the second period, came on Canada’s lone power play opportunity of the game. Canada finished 2-for-2 on the penalty kill.

Dixon and Bridges, with his 160th career goal, tops all-time, finished the scoring in the third.

"We played smart and as a team,” said Canadian head coach Ken Babey. “We set a high pace and played with structure, which resulted in goals. Now we are moving on, and focusing on the semifinals.”

Canada will face the Norwegians again Saturday, this time in the late semifinal (9 a.m. ET/6 a.m. PT).