MILAN (AP) — Three weeks after the United States and Canada clashed in the Olympic hockey finals, they are on course to face off for gold again. This time at the Paralympics.
The U.S. is looking to cement itself as the top hockey nation. Canada is determined to prevent its neighbors from doing the Olympic and Paralympic sweep at Milan Cortina.
It looks set to be another chapter of the famed rivalry between the two hockey powerhouses.
“It’s one of the best rivalries in sport and we’re so fortunate that we have the opportunity to be a part of it,” Canada captain Tyler McGregor told The Associated Press. “Those are games that they’re just different as an athlete: they’re more emotional, they’re chaotic at times, there’s so many momentum swings over the course of a game.
“When the pressure is on you really need to be able to manage that emotionally. And those games, they’re fast, they’re physical, they test you in ways that is so incredible as an athlete and we can’t wait to potentially have that opportunity later in the tournament.”
Both nations topped their groups in the para ice hockey round-robin stage, winning all three of their matches comprehensively.
Four-time defending champion U.S., which has scored 34 goals and let in just two, will face the Czech Republic in Friday’s semifinals, when Canada, which has allowed just one goal and scored 26, will play China.
“We’re both at a high level, their guys care just as much as we do, they train just as hard,” U.S. forward Kevin McKee said. “And then, obviously, we play such tight games So you build that, not necessarily hatred, but that competition. Like you like to compete against them, because they’re just good games.”
The U.S. is also aiming for hockey history, looking to become the first country to do the three-peat after winning gold in both the men’s and women’s competitions at the Olympics.
The Americans swept all four world championships last year. There is currently no women’s division at the Paralympics, with it classified as an open-gender sport.
“No team’s ever won all three hockey gold medals in the Olympics and Paralympics so I think it’s a lofty goal but I think, obviously the men and women got it done so we just got to keep building every game and hopefully we can bring one home,” U.S. captain Josh Pauls said.
Teammate Jack Wallace believes the Canadians “are licking the wounds right now after the Olympics,” having lost to the Americans in both gold medal matches.
“I know we’re trying to stop that (run) right here,” Canada goalkeeper Corbin Watson said. “We’re coming in as a renewed force. I know last year wasn’t the greatest … but this year we pushed really hard, we did a lot of good things in our training throughout the year.
“So we’re eyeing that gold medal game … eyeing Team USA to come for them.”
While the Olympics saw the U.S. men win gold for the first time since the “Miracle on Ice” in 1980, it’s a different story at the Paralympics.
The U.S. has triumphed at five of the past six editions of the Winter Paralympics and several of its players are targeting a fourth straight gold medal, with Pauls incredibly targeting a fifth.
Canada finished runner-up at the past two Paralympics but Italian ice may just prove lucky as the team won its only gold medal in Turin in 2006.
Greg Westlake, a member of that gold medal team, announced in August that he would step down from his assistant coaching role with the national team to come out of retirement and rejoin his teammates on the ice.
“One of the reasons I came back to play this year was I thought it would just be really cool to kind of wrap up where it all started,” the 39-year-old said. “I have such great memories of 2006.
“I remember when you get the gold medal, you get the flowers that come with it and I found my mom in the stands and I tossed her the flowers and she’s crying, and then you line up on the blue line and sing ‘O Canada’ and to this day it’s one of the greatest memories of my life so I just want those guys on the team who haven’t experienced that to experience that because it’s very well deserved for all those guys.”
___
AP Winter Paralympics: https://apnews.com/hub/paralympic-games
