Players of the United States celebrate victory after the Para Ice Hockey Gold Medal Game between the United States and Canada of the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games at National Indoor Stadium in Beijing, capital of China, March 13, 2022. (Xinhua/Ma Xiping)
BEIJING, March 13 (Xinhua) -- The United States reinforced their dominance in Para ice hockey and became the first team to win four successive Paralympic gold medals after beating Canada 5-0 at the Beijing Winter Paralympics on Sunday.
After an 11-0 victory each in the semifinals, the long-time rivals set up a rematch between the top two ranked Para ice hockey teams following their encounters at PyeongChang 2018 and World Championships in 2019 and 2021.
Canada scored 17 goals and conceded zero since losing 5-0 to the U.S. in the opening match of the tournament and appeared to have better momentum after the final started, as Liam Hickey of Canada missed a golden one-on-one chance in the sixth minute.
But it was the U.S. who broke the deadlock with two goals in the ninth minute when star player Declan Farmer hit the top corner in a solo counterattack run to make it 1-0, before Brody Roybal added another just a few seconds later as the team's leading scorer stole the puck in their attacking zone and sent it home.
Canadian goalkeeper Dominic Larocque blocked a penalty shot from Josh Pauls just one minute into the second period but failed to stop the U.S. from scoring their third and fourth goal.
Canada bounced back in the final period but could neither take advantage of the power play nor make their opportunities count, while the U.S. made the final score 5-0 to take their fourth consecutive Paralympic gold. ■
Declan Farmer (L) of the United States vies with Tyler McGregor of Canada during the Para Ice Hockey Gold Medal Game between the United States and Canada of the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games at National Indoor Stadium in Beijing, capital of China, March 13, 2022. (Xinhua/Hu Xingyu)
Goalkeeper Dominic Larocque of Canada makes a save during the Para Ice Hockey Gold Medal Game between the United States and Canada of the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games at National Indoor Stadium in Beijing, capital of China, March 13, 2022. (Xinhua/Wu Huiwo)
Anton Jacobs-Webb (R) of Canada reacts after the Para Ice Hockey Gold Medal Game between the United States and Canada of the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games at National Indoor Stadium in Beijing, capital of China, March 13, 2022. (Xinhua/Cai Yang)
Players of the United States and Canada greet each other after the Para Ice Hockey Gold Medal Game between the United States and Canada of the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games at National Indoor Stadium in Beijing, capital of China, March 13, 2022. (Xinhua/Hu Xingyu)
Greg Westlake (front) of Canada vies for the puck during the Para Ice Hockey Gold Medal Game between the United States and Canada of the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games at National Indoor Stadium in Beijing, capital of China, March 13, 2022. (Xinhua/Cai Yang)
Players of the United States celebrate after the Para Ice Hockey Gold Medal Game between the United States and Canada of the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games at National Indoor Stadium in Beijing, capital of China, March 13, 2022. (Xinhua/Xu Yanan)
Declan Farmer (L) and Brody Roybal of the United States celebrate during the Para Ice Hockey Gold Medal Game between the United States and Canada of the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games at National Indoor Stadium in Beijing, capital of China, March 13, 2022. (Xinhua/Zhang Keren)
Declan Farmer (L) and Brody Roybal of the United States celebrate during the Para Ice Hockey Gold Medal Game between the United States and Canada of the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games at National Indoor Stadium in Beijing, capital of China, March 13, 2022. (Xinhua/Zhang Keren)
