Canadian Para ice hockey earns silver
Following a 6-2 loss to the United States on the final day of the Paralympics, the Canadian Para ice hockey team, including video coach Dean Seymour of Saskatoon, will be returning home with a silver medal.
The United States got on the board first, scoring the lone goal of the opening period on the powerplay eight minutes and 39 seconds into the frame.
That lead carried through until 1:45 into the second period when Liam Hickey netted his own powerplay goal for the Canadians to tie the game. However, the Americans added another two goals to close out the period with a 3-1 lead.
Another goal by the United States 1:42 into the third widened the gap to three points, but Hickey added his second goal of the game 24 seconds later to keep the Canadians in the game and only trailing by two.
With just over five minutes left in the game, the Americans received a delay-of-game penalty giving the Canadians the one-player advantage, but instead the United States were able to score short-handed.
On the ensuing faceoff and still on the powerplay, Canada pulled goaltender Corbin Watson to give themselves two extra players on the ice, but again, the Americans were able to negate the advantage scoring a short-handed empty netter to seal the victory.
Watson made 15 saves on 20 shots, while his American counterpart Griffin LaMarre went 11-for-13.
Oatway finishes eighth in slalom
Competing in his final event on Day 9 of the Paralympics, Kurt Oatway, who began his Para alpine career in Regina, finished eighth in the men’s slalom sitting event.
Oatway completed his first run in fifth with a time of 48.61 seconds and followed that with his second run later in the day with a time of 45.94 seconds, to combine for an aggregate total time of one minute and 34.55 seconds. That put him 4.83 seconds behind the first-place finisher.
Oatway, a three-time Paralympian, captured bronze in his first event of these Games, the men’s downhill sitting event. He then encountered problems with course conditions in his other events, recording Did Not Finish in the Super-G, alpine combined and giant slalom.
Hudak pulls out of last event
Four-time Paralympian Brittany Hudak was set to compete in her last event of theses Games, the women’s Para cross-country 20-kilometre standing race, but withdrew due to illness.
Earlier in the Games, Hudak claimed her fourth-career Paralympic bronze medal in the Para cross-country 10-kilometre sprint classic standing event. She also competed in three Para biathlon standing events, finishing fifth in individual race, sixth in the spring and ninth in sprint pursuit.
Other Saskatchewan connections at the Games
Regina’s Stephanie Peppler joined the Canadian Para snowboard team as a physiotherapist for her first Paralympics, with the team capturing a bronze medal in the men’s snowboard cross SB-LL1 class.
Meanwhile, Saskatoon’s Kaspar Wirz led Australia’s Para Nordic team as their head coach, as he attended his eighth Paralympics.
Paralympic Notes: Canada wrapped the final day of Milano Cortina with a pair of medals. In addition to the silver won by the Canadian Para ice hockey team, Kalle Ericcsson and guide Sierra Smith added a third Para alpine medal to their collection, this time in men’s slalom visually impaired…Canada’s medal count: 15 (3 Gold, 4 Silver, 8 Bronze).