U.S. National Sled Team Advances to Para Hockey Cup Title Game With 13-2 Win Over China
CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. – Declan Farmer (Tampa, Fla.), Evan Nichols (Haymarket, Va.), and Brody Roybal (Northlake, Ill.), each recorded a hat trick to help lead the U.S. National Sled Hockey Team to a 13-2 victory over China in the semifinals of the 2024 Para Hockey Cup at the Bell Aliant Centre.
With the win, the U.S. will advance to the championship game tomorrow (Dec. 14) to face off against the winner of the semifinal contest between Canada and Czechia tonight (Dec. 13). Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. local time/6 p.m. ET.
The championship game will be televised in the U.S. on Sunday (Dec. 15) on NHL Network. The contest will broadcast live on TSN in Canada, and fans can also live stream the game here.
GAME PHOTOS
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“Little bit of a chaotic start, but the response was really strong afterwards,” said David Hoff (Bottineau, N.D.), head coach of the U.S. National Sled Hockey Team. “It was a good win and we will look to keep our momentum rolling into tomorrow.”
China took the first lead of the game 6:59 into the contest when Jujiang Wang forced a turnover in the U.S. zone and finished a chance from the slot. Less than a minute later, Yifeng Shen doubled China’s advantage with a top-corner wrist shot on a breakaway opportunity.
Nichols brought Team USA within one just 30 seconds later when he gathered a rebound just outside China’s crease and slipped the puck across the goal line with a behind-the-back shot.
With 4:01 to play in the first, David Eustace (Stoneham, Mass.) batted a rebound home to knot the game up at 2-2.
Roybal picked up a go-ahead goal in the final minute of the period when he shot the puck from the corner behind the goal line, off the back of Chinese goaltender Yinzhao Ji and into the net.
At the 2:14 mark of the middle frame, Josh Misiewicz (La Grange, Ill.) extended the lead, burying a rebound from a shot by Nichols. Farmer added to the tally at 4:46 when he carried the puck into the slot, weaving past defenders before rifling a shot top-left past Ji.
With 5:40 to play in the middle stanza, Roybal score his second of the contest with a top-shelf snipe from the high slot off a feed from Malik Jones (Aurora, Colo.).
Roybal completed a hat trick in the closing minutes of the period, capitalizing from the right circle to give the U.S. a 7-2 advantage heading into the third.
Jack Wallace (Franklin Lakes, N.J.) made it an 8-2 game 3:46 into the final frame with a wrist shot from the left circle on the power play.
Farmer buried a breakaway chance at the 5:58 mark, finessing past the netminder and capitalizing with his left. Team USA took a 10-2 lead less than a minute later when Kevin McKee (Chicago, Ill.) finished an opportunity from just outside the crease.
Just 37 seconds after McKee’s tally, Farmer completed a hat trick with a goal off a rebound from a shot by Noah Grove (Frederick, Md.) at 7:34. With 5:43 remaining in the game, Nichols posted his second goal of the contest to put the U.S. up 12-2.
Nichols completed a hat trick in the final minute to cap off the 13-2 win for the Team USA.
Griffin LaMarre (Haverhill, Mass.) stopped nine shots to earn the win in goal for the U.S.
NOTES: Team USA outshot China 35-11 … The U.S. was 2-3 on the power play, while China was 0-1 … Brody Roybal (3g, 4a) was name U.S. Player of the Game.
Source: usahockey.com