OSTRAVA, Czechia — Canada lost 6-1 to the United States in the International Para Hockey Cup on Tuesday.
Tyler McGregor of Forest, Ont., scored the lone goal for Canada (1-1), which had opened the four-country tournament with a 2-1 win over the host Czechs.
Adam Kingsmill of Smithers, B.C., made 33 saves in the loss.
Canada is the reigning world champion after defeating the U.S. in June's final in Moose Jaw, Sask.
The Americans are the reigning Paralympic champions, however, having beaten Canada in Beijing's final in 2022.
Canada caps the preliminary round Thursday against IPH, which is a team of players from different countries.
The U.S. outshot Canada 39-8 on Tuesday.
"We have a young team and have less experience playing against that level of competition," McGregor said. "Our younger players played really well, we had some good chances and we did a lot of things well. The difficult thing to do against a team like (the U.S.) is to keep the game in reach, and unfortunately the third period got away from us.
"We are focusing on what we can do better each shift, each period and each day moving forward.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 3, 2023.
The Canadian Press
