McGregor, Cozzolino lead Canada over China to open Para Hockey Cup in N.B.
Quispamsis game marks 1st-ever matchup between the 2 teams in international play
Canada opened the 2023 Para Hockey Cup in Quispamsis, N.B., with a 4-1 victory over China on Sunday.
The matchup marked the first time in history that Canada's national Para hockey team met China in international play, with captain Tyler McGregor and Mississauga, Ont., native Dominic Cozzolino factoring in on every Canadian goal.
China was a standout team at the 2023 World Para Ice Hockey Championship in Moose Jaw, Sask., in May and June, going undefeated in its preliminary-round group before eventually losing to the Czech Republic in the bronze-medal game.
"[China] is a team that we have never played before," McGregor said in a release. "We had the chance to watch them at the [worlds] in Moose Jaw and saw who their top players are, but structurally we did not know a whole lot about them.
"Reflecting on the game, what I am most proud of from our group is that we learned on the fly, adjusted on the go, and found a way to win. I was fighting for the puck a bit tonight, so on nights like those, you try to get the puck to those around you. I am fortunate that I play with some great players who were able to capitalize on those opportunities."
The Forest, Ont., native played the role of distributor early, setting up Liam Hickey on the power play and Cozzolino at even-strength to give Canada a 2-0 lead in the first period.
Jonathan Daigle of Boucherville, Que., earned his first assist for Canada on Cozzolino's first-period goal.
"It was incredible," Daigle said. "It is a dream come true to play for Team Canada and to have my first assist on my first shift of the game was amazing; I hope it is the first of many. This is so much more fun than I had thought. All of my teammates are really nice, looking out for me on the ice and helping me grow as a player."
McGregor found Cozzolino again at the midway point of the second period to make it 3-1, and Cozzolino returned the favour to McGregor late in the third to cap the scoring.
Adam Kingsmill of Smithers, B.C., made six saves in the win, with Canada holding a 21-7 edge in shots.
"It is always exciting to get going in a tournament like this, get your first game under your belt..." said Canadian guest coach Tara Chisholm, who became the first woman to work behind the bench for the national Para team. "We knew that [China] would come out with a lot of speed... We had to be aware in our defensive end and make sure that we stagger so we do not get caught up ice, which did happen a couple of times today and are good lessons to learn from.
"We have a really strong skill set on our team, a lot of depth. We need to look at the defensive side of things and allow that to bring the offence, as we know [the Czech Republic] and the U.S. are both going to come at us hard."
Congrats to coach Tara Chisholm, who today became the first woman to work the bench with 🇨🇦's National Para Hockey Team! 👏<br><br>Félicitations à l’entraîneuse Tara Chisholm, devenue aujourd’hui la première femme à travailler derrière le banc de l’équipe nationale de parahockey du 🇨🇦! <a href="https://t.co/tHzrcUAPsK">pic.twitter.com/tHzrcUAPsK</a>
—@HockeyCanadaNext up for Canada will be a 6 p.m. ET matchup on Monday with the Czech Republic, which lost 3-0 to the U.S. on Sunday.
Canada will play the Americans at the same time on Wednesday to wrap up round-robin play, with the semifinals set for Friday and the subsequent bronze and gold-medal games on Saturday.
Led by head coach Russ Herrington, Canada is searching for its first gold medal at the Para Hockey Cup since 2013. The U.S. has won seven straight titles, with the last six coming against Canada.
Canada most recently lost to the U.S. in the International Para Hockey Cup final last month in Ostrava, Czech Republic.
Canada roster
Forwards:
- #19 Dominic Cozzolino — Mississauga, Ont.
- #15 Jonathan Daigle — Boucherville, Que.
- #11 Adam Dixon — Midland, Ont.
- #4 James Dunn — Wallacetown, Ont.
- #23 Liam Hickey — St. John's
- #26 Anton Jacobs-Webb — Gatineau, Que.
- #29 Micah Kovacevich — Edmonton
- #20 Jacob Leblanc — Moncton, N.B.
- #8 Tyler McGregor — Forest, Ont.
- #25 Saoud Messaoudi — Saint-Hubert, Que.
- #9 Corbyn Smith — Monkton, Ont.
- #24 Sam Swafford — Ottawa
Defencemen:
- #61 Rob Armstrong — Erin, Ont.
- #17 Shawn Burnett — McMasterville, Que.
- #2 Rod Crane — Clarksburg, Ont.
- #92 Auren Halbert — Calgary
- #5 Tyrone Henry — Ottawa
- #7 Zach Lavin — Essex, Ont.
Goaltenders:
- #33 Mitchell Garrett — Surrey, B.C.
- #54 Adam Kingsmill — Smithers, B.C.
With files from Hockey Canada
