Beijing Bound!

It feels a little weird to be writing about the Beijing Olympics when the Tokyo Olympics have yet to be completed, but Team Canada punched their tickets to China for the 2022 Winter Olympiad thanks to a big win over the Czech Republic today at the 2021 IPC World Championship! While the final score looked like Canada had no trouble with the Czechs, the reality is that this game was a good measuring stick for a country like the Czech Republic to see how far they may be from medal contention at major events. Take nothing away from the Czech Republic in this game, but Canada was on a mission as they become the first team to qualify for the Beijing Paralympic Games!

The score at the final horn showed Canada with a 10-0 win, but the Canadians are keeping themselves sharp in this tournament as they finish the preliminary round at 3-0 with wins over the United States, South Korea, and the Czech Republic while outscoring the three teams 20-1. Their top finish in the group moves them to the semifinal where they await the winner of the game between the Russians and the Czech Republic. Canada and the winner of that game will meet Friday.

If you're looking for a preview, the Russians are heavily favoured in that game after playing a tournament of which I'm not sure they should be proud. Russia never once held back in their efforts as they scored 34 goals in three games, trouncing Slovakia, Italy, and Norway in those matches. The Czechs, who have yet to score a goal in this event, might be overmatched before this game even starts, so I'd expect a Canada-Russia tilt on Friday. However, they play the games for a reason, so perhaps the Czechs can find their own version of Miracle in that game!

On the other side of the draw, Team USA awaits the winner of Norway and South Korea, and that game will be played Friday as well. Norway, who was once a powerhouse in the sledge hockey world, has seen their stock drop over the last number of years as players retire or move on from the sport. As a result, this tournament didn't go well for them as they managed to beat Italy and barely defeated Slovakia, but they were embarrassed by Russia in an 18-1 rout that saw the Russians not take their foot off the gas pedal. Needless to say, South Korea will challenge the Norwegians in their game.

There should be no surprise when it comes to the scoring lead for the tournament as Russia holds the top-six spots on the list thanks to their ridiculous scores, but Tyler MacGregor of Canada is definitely showing that he's a threat with the puck on his stick as he has scored seven goals in the event, one back of the leader. Liam Hickey and Billy Bridges both have six helpers apiece, so there's good puck movement on this Canadian team when it comes to setting up goals, and the depth of the Canadian team with Corbyn Smith, Auren Halbert, and Zach Lavin all chipping in offensively makes Canada a dangerous team.

Canada's Dominic Larocque will get the nod on Friday, and, assuming Russia wins, he'll be 200 feet from Andrei Kasatkin who has faced just five shots on net thus far (and allowed one goal). If Canada can get to Kasatkin with shots and second chances, there's a good chance they'll claim victory over a Russian team who has yet to face any adversity. Russia will be a formidable foe, but Canada has the talent to advance to the gold medal final against either Russia or the Czech Republic.

If there was some negative news today, it's that Canada's Rob Armstrong and James Dunn will miss the remainder of the tournament due to injury. Dunn played just one game, scoring one goal, before his injury while Armstrong also played in just one game, recording no points. While their losses hurt the overall depth for Canada, there are a number of good, young players that head coach Ken Babey can turn to in times like this.

"We were able to get our younger players some more ice time in the third period," Babey explained to The Canadian Press, "to hopefully give them some extra experience as we head into the medal round, and now we look forward to playing in the semifinals."

Winning the 2021 IPC World Championship gold medal would be a good first step on the way to Beijing. The cart can't be put before the horse, though, and Canada's game against whomever they face on Friday should be a good test to prepare them for future events. Whatever the results are on Friday and Saturday, there is one certainty: Canada will be on the ice in China in February!

Congratulations to Team Canada on their Olympic qualification!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!