By Canadian Press

Canada to meet U.S. for gold at the International Para Hockey Cup

Oct 7, 2023 | 12:20 PM

OSTRAVA, Czechia — Team Canada will face off against the United States for a gold medal in Sunday’s championship game at the 2023 International Para Hockey Cup.

Canada advanced to the title game with a 4-1 win over Team IPH in Saturday’s semifinal.

The win avenged Thursday’s 7-5 preliminary round loss to Team IPH, which is a team of players from different countries.

“We got back to emphasizing what we believe is important for us to have success today. We showed a commitment to defence, we were able to move the puck more and we played the mid-ice strong, which allowed us to shut down (Team IPH’s) attack fairly quickly. We came with a much better focus from the get-go,” said Canada coach Russ Herrington.

Calgary’s Auren Halbert led the Canadian attack with a pair of goals, while captain Tyler McGregor, of Forest, Ont., added a power-play goal and an assist. 

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James Dunn, of Wallacetown, Ont., scored Canada’s opening marker at 1:39 of the first period.

German forward Bernhard Hering scored for Team IPH.

“We showed up today because we were prepared and were confident in ourselves. Looking ahead to (the gold-medal game), it is going to come down to being prepared and playing the best we can,” said Canadian forward Corbyn Smith, who registered two assists.

The U.S. defeated host Czechia 6-1 in Saturday’s other semifinal game.

Sunday’s final will be a rematch of the gold-medal game from June’s world para hockey championship in Moose Jaw. The United States won that encounter 6-1.

The U.S. also beat Canada 5-0 in the gold-medal game at the 2022 Beijing Olympics.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 7, 2023.

The Canadian Press