GRAVENHURST — Sledge hockey players at the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games in Vancouver are on course to a golden hat trick for Canada in 2010 after weekend play.
After two games, Canada’s national sledge team had a one-point lead over Norway for first place with six points. Team Canada was to play Norway on Tuesday for first place in the B Group before the semifinal round on Thursday. Game results were not known at press time.
Canada’s national sledge team shut out Italy 4-0 in its opening game Saturday afternoon at UBC Thunderbird Arena and blasted Sweden 10-1 in preliminary action on Sunday.
Canada came up against outstanding goaltending in the Italy game, putting a total 16 shots on net.
Team Canada scored first against Italy at 9:28 in the first period with a marker by Marc Doiron. The team, however, did not find its stride until the third period when Greg Westlake scored consecutive goals and Jean Labonté added another for the win.
Goalie Paul Rosen stopped all four of Italy’s shots on net.
A game report by Hockey Canada indicated nerves might have contributed to the team’s slow start as they were playing before the largest and loudest crowd they’ve ever played before.
Defenceman Graeme Murray of Gravenhurst saw 13 shifts on the ice for a total of 21:09 minutes.
Sunday’s match against Sweden saw a dominating Team Canada score eight goals in 30 minutes, in an eventual 10-1 pounding.
Westlake and Doiron had hat tricks, while Brad Bowden and Adam Dixon each added two.
Goaltender Benoit St-Amand made two saves in his first career Paralympic victory. He gave up the only goal of the game to the first shot in the first period, and did not have to stop a puck in the second.
Murray averaged one minute on the ice for 19 shifts. He earned two minutes in the penalty box for elbowing in the second period.
The defending 2006 Paralympic gold medallists continue their quest for gold in semifinal action on Thursday, March 18, airing live on Sportsnet East and Sportsnet Ont at 3 p.m.