Canada wins two games to one
By Ron Giofu/The Amherstburg Echo
Posted 2 hours ago
AMHERSTBURG ? National sledge hockey teams from Canada and the United States hit the ice at the UCCU Complex last week as the teams prepare the players to try and make the 2014 Paralympics.
Three games were played at the UCCU Complex with afternoon games played Thursday and Friday afternoons and a decisive third game played Saturday night. The U.S. won the first game Thursday 3-2 but Canada rebounded Friday afternoon with a 2-0 victory. Saturday night?s rubber match saw Canada win 3-1 to take the series two games to one.
Adam Crockatt, manager of hockey operations for Canadian national teams, said holding the three-game series in Amherstburg made sense from a geographical standpoint with the Canada-U.S. border being nearby. However, Amherstburg stood out for another reason, he noted.
?The biggest reason is the facility,? said Crockatt. ?This facility is fantastic for sledge hockey.?
Crockatt pointed out that many on the Canadian team have played together before, either as part of the national development program or through Team Ontario. He noted two players from last season?s team have made the national senior team.
?I think the guys are excited,? he said, of playing in the three-game series.
?It?s always an honor to put on the Canadian jersey and play for your country,? said Team Canada?s Brendan Blanchard.
Blanchard is familiar with the UCCU Complex, as he practices there each Wednesday as a member of the Essex-Kent Ice Bullets.
?It?s a great facility. It?s one of the best I?ve played at,? said Blanchard.
Former Western Hockey League player Chris Cederstrand said he appreciated the opportunity to play for the Canadian national program.
?It?s fantastic,? said Cederstrand. ?It?s something I didn?t get to do while playing stand-up hockey.?
Cederstrand, who lost most of his right leg five years ago after a construction accident, said the complex ?looks great? but was especially looking forward to playing the U.S. squad. He said there is always a rivalry between Canada and the United States.
?I don?t think it matters what sport you play, there is an animosity between the two teams,? said Cederstrand.
Cederstrand noted that he just started playing sledge hockey about three months ago and is enjoying it. He added it is ?a dream come true to represent your country.?
?This will be a competition weekend for us,? said Team USA head coach Mike MacMillan.
MacMillan, also the national coach-in-chief for USA Hockey, said the Canadian team chose Amherstburg as the location for this series of three exhibition games. The next three, scheduled for April, will be in Charlotte, North Carolina.
The American coach indicated at a practice Wednesday morning there was some rust on his team after not being together for over one month but he did like the surroundings of where his club was practicing and playing.
?We drove up in the parking lot and I was amazed,? he said. ?In the middle of a field is this amazing complex.?
The job of the development team, explained MacMillan, is to develop players that will compete for spots on the national team that will go to Sochi, Russia for the 2014 Paralympics.
Jeremy Kennedy, general manager of the American squad, said it was the third time the U.S. squad has been together this season. Kennedy noted three of the players were veterans, having lost limbs in the combat overseas.
Source: http://www.amherstburgecho.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=3461241
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