OSTRAVA, Czechia – Canada’s National Para Hockey Team has won the silver medal for the fourth-consecutive year at the 2025 International Para Hockey Cup, falling 3-0 to the United States in the gold medal game Sunday at Ostravar Arena.
Corbin Watson (Kingsville, ON) was stellar in the Canadian goal, making 24 saves in his 99th career game. Watson was terrific in his three starts in the tournament – two of them against the Americans – finishing with a 1.66 goals-against average and .924 save percentage.
Auren Halbert (Calgary, AB) was named Player of the Game for Canada. A full game summary can be found here.
“This offseason came with a lot of change, including new coaches and new players, and it was fun to get the new season started and find out which areas we need to work on. We are excited to keep building, and we know we are going to stay united as a team and get better as the season goes on,” said veteran forward Greg Westlake (Oakville, ON). “We are looking forward to playing at home in our next tournament and showcasing our great sport, because we love playing in Canada. We are excited to get to Dawson Creek in November and play in a part of the country that we have not been to for a long time.”
“I am proud of all our guys for today’s game, as well as the whole 10 days we have been [in Czechia]. They represented the country, themselves and our program well, and there were a lot of positives that we can take away from this tournament,” said head coach Boris Rybalka (Vernon, BC). “Obviously we would have liked to win a gold medal, but we are going to continue through the process so we can give ourselves the best chance to be successful when we get to Milan [for the 2026 Paralympics].”
Canada secured its spot in the gold medal game by finishing the preliminary round in second place after an overtime loss to the United States (2-1) and wins over Czechia (6-1), China (4-2) and Italy (9-1).
Canada’s National Para Hockey Team and the United States will meet again in just over one month at the 2025 Para Cup, joined by China and Czechia at the Ovintiv Events Centre in Dawson Creek, British Columbia, Nov. 30-Dec. 6. Fans looking to secure their seats can purchase a variety of ticket options at HockeyCanada.ca/Tickets.
For more information on Hockey Canada and Canada’s National Para Hockey Team, please visit HockeyCanada.ca, or follow along through social media on Facebook, X, Instagram and TikTok.
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