Games in St. Louis will be first international competition of 2021-22 season
CALGARY, Alta. – Canada’s National Para Hockey Team will continue its road to the 2022 Paralympic Winter Games with a stop in St. Louis, Mo., for a two-game series against the United States.
Team Canada gathered in St. Louis, Mo., on Oct. 25, with the full schedule including six practices and a pair of games against its cross-border rival – Oct. 29 and 30 – at the Centene Community Ice Center in Maryland Heights, a St. Louis suburb. The series marks the first time the teams have met since the gold medal game at the 2021 IPC World Para Hockey Championship in Ostrava, Czech Republic in June.
Both games can be livestreamed on Hockey TV with a subscription.
“We are excited to head to St. Louis to get our team back together as we work towards our ultimate goal of winning a Paralympic gold medal in Beijing in March,” said head coach Ken Babey (Saskatoon, Sask.). “The opportunity to play the Americans at this stage of the season is an important part of our preparation, and we look forward to competing against them and continuing to build as a team on and off the ice.”
The 20-player roster for the 2021-22 season was announced following a selection camp in Calgary in September, with all athletes participating in events and camps throughout the year. The roster was selected by Babey and Marshall Starkman (Thornhill, Ont.), manager of hockey operations. Assistant coaches Steve Arsenault (Edmonton, Alta.), Mike Foligno (Sudbury, Ont.) and Russ Herrington (Unionville, Ont.), along with goaltending consultant Mike Fountain (Gravenhurst, Ont.), also provided input.
The staff that will work with Canada’s National Para Hockey Team at the series in St. Louis includes:
- Physiotherapist Michael Lenart (Keswick, Ont.)
- Team physician Dr. Roy Diklich (Windsor, Ont./Windsor, OHL)
- Mental performance consultant Kyle McDonald (Regina, Sask.)
- Equipment managers Grant Boswall (Cornwall, P.E.I.) and A.J. Murley (St. John’s, N.L.)
- Hockey operations coordinator Mitchell Furlotte (Bathurst, N.B.)
- Media relations manager Spencer Sharkey (Hamilton, Ont.)
The full season schedule for Canada’s National Para Hockey Team ahead of the 2022 Paralympic Winter Games will be announced in the coming weeks, while the final roster for Beijing is tentatively scheduled to be unveiled in February.
For more information on Hockey Canada and Canada’s National Para Hockey Team, please visit HockeyCanada.ca, or follow along via social media on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and by using #OurGameIsBack.
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Spencer Sharkey
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Hockey Canada
905-906-5327