U.S. completes 3-game sweep of Canada in men's Para hockey series

The Canadian national Para hockey team was defeated by the United States 5-2 on Saturday in Minot, N.D., to put a wrap on a three-game series sweep by the Americans.

The rivalry has been one-sided in recent history, with the U.S. topping Canada in the gold-medal game of the last two Paralympics and last three world championships.

The last Canadian win came Oct. 29, 2021, in the first game of a two-game series in Maryland Heights, Mo.

But within this series, the Canadians showed improvement each game, falling to its North American rival 7-0 in Wednesday's opener, 4-1 in Game 2 on Friday, and on Saturday Canada was even with the U.S. through half of the game until Jack Wallace and Josh Misiewicz scored 12 seconds apart with just over five minutes to go in the second period to make it 4-2.

"We got better and better each day in Minot," said Canadian head coach Russ Herrington. "We did a good job structurally in our own end; I felt like they did not generate a ton out of their offensive-zone pressure tonight. They get what they get off the rush most of the time, which is an area we have to work on cleaning up. Our forecheck got better, and we were able to create chances off our offensive-zone pressure throughout the week which led to the tightest game of the series today.

"When you compete as hard as both us and the United States do, there is pride involved and sometimes tempers flare a little bit, but I am glad that cooler heads prevailed tonight. The hosts in Minot did an incredible job, the fans were knowledgeable and provided a great atmosphere."

Canada responded to two Declan Farmer goals for the U.S. in the first and second frames to even the score both times with goals from Vincent Boily of Alma, Que., at 8:16 of the first period and Liam Hickey of St. John's at 11:16 of the second period.

Wallace iced the game for the U.S. with an empty-net goal at 14:07 of the third period, to add to his game-winning tally in the middle frame.

Adam Kingsmill of Smithers, B.C., made 24 saves in the loss for Canada, while his American counterpart Jen Lee made 10 saves.

"We showed a lot of resiliency," said Kingsmill. "Each and every player on our team battled through a lot, whether it was on or off the ice. We kept our poise and I am very proud of everyone on our team. Everyone in Minot treated us well, the environment was incredible and the fans were amazing here. It was a fun experience."

The two squads will next play in another series in Calgary from April 1-6.

Calgary will also host the 2024 world championship at WinSport Arena from May 4-12.