Canada falls to the U.S. 2-0 in final of Para Cup hockey tournament

Canada earned a silver medal after falling to the United States 2-0 in the Para Hockey Cup final Saturday evening in Dawson Creek, B.C.

Brett Bolton scored in the first period and Brody Roybal added an empty-netter for the reigning world and Olympic Para hockey champions. Jen Lee made 10 saves for the shutout, while Corbin Watson made 16 saves in the losing effort.

“We are happy with our tournament as a whole because our team got better every game and we are building a sense of belief,” said Canadian forward Adam Dixon.

The Americans have now won an unprecedented 10-consecutive Para Cup championships and hold a world-best 12 titles all-time.

The U.S. closed the event with a 5-0-0-0 record, going undefeated at the Para Hockey Cup for the seventh consecutive time.

“I thought we finished with our best effort,” said U.S. head coach David Hoff. “I liked how we played defensively, Jen stepped up for us, and I thought it was a good all-around effort and a great way to finish this tournament.”

Canada has lost each of the last nine Para Hockey Cup finals dating to 2016. The Canadians have won five gold medals in the tournament, most recently in 2013.

Canada went 3-0-2-0 in the four-team tournament, with both losses at the hands of the U.S., which beat the Canadians 3-2 in the preliminary round.

The Canadians had their opportunities to score in Saturday's final, including two power plays in the second period. But Canada couldn’t convert and finished the game 0-for-3.

The U.S. went 0-for-2 on the power play.

“We forced a lot of turnovers and created scoring opportunities from the forecheck, and we are thrilled with that. Moving forward, consistency and execution in big moments will be a key for us,” said Canada captain Tyler