OSTRAVA, Czech Republic – Canada’s National Para Hockey Team has advanced to the gold medal game at the 2019 IPC World Para Hockey Championship. Liam Hickey (St. John’s, N.L.) steered the defending champions to the final with four goals and one assist in a 10-0 semifinal victory over South Korea on Friday.
Canada will contend for the top spot on the podium against either the Czech Republic or the United States on Saturday at Ostravar Arena (10:30 a.m. ET/7:30 a.m. PT).
Canadian captain Tyler McGregor (Forest, Ont.) continued his prolific tournament with two goals and two assists against the Koreans. Rob Armstrong (Mississauga, Ont.), Dominic Cozzolino (Mississauga, Ont.), Billy Bridges (Summerside, P.E.I.) and Zach Lavin (Okotoks, Alta.) had a goal and an assist apiece.
Dominic Larocque (Quebec City, Que.) stopped three shots to pick up his second shutout against South Korea in four days, and added his second assist of the tournament.
Canada demonstrated the full breadth of its championship pedigree in the first period by racking up a 4-0 lead and a 14-2 edge in shots on goal.
Their first three goals came just 2:08 apart in the first half of the frame. Hickey broke the ice at the six-minute mark with a snipe from the high slot, Armstrong doubled the lead 37 seconds later with a shot off the draw and Hickey struck again at 8:08 by having his cross-ice pass to Greg Westlake (Oakville, Ont.) bank off a defender and in. Cozzolino produced Canada’s fourth goal late in the period with a shot in tight.
Canada kept the offence humming with four more goals in the second period.
Hickey picked up the hat trick early in the middle frame with a backhand shot before McGregor converted on a shot from the face-off circle at 5:41. After Bridges scored from the slot with just under three minutes left, McGregor beat the buzzer with one second to go.
Hickey added his fourth goal 6:37 into the third, and Lavin put Canada’s goal total into double-digit territory with 1:25 remaining.
