Canada beats Team IPH, will face U.S. for gold at International Para Hockey Cup
Calgary's Auren Halbert leads Canadian attack with pair of goals
Team Canada will face off against the United States for a gold medal in Sunday's championship game at the 2023 International Para Hockey Cup.
Canada advanced to the title game with a 4-1 win over Team IPH in Saturday's semifinal.
The win avenged Thursday's 7-5 preliminary round loss to Team IPH, which is a team of players from different countries.
Calgary's Auren Halbert led the Canadian attack with a pair of goals, while captain Tyler McGregor, of Forest, Ont., added a power-play goal and an assist.
James Dunn, of Wallacetown, Ont., scored Canada's opening marker at 1:39 of the first period.
German forward Bernhard Hering scored for Team IPH.
"We showed up today because we were prepared and were confident in ourselves. Looking ahead to [the gold-medal game], it is going to come down to being prepared and playing the best we can," said Canadian forward Corbyn Smith, who registered two assists.
The U.S. defeated host Czechia 6-1 in Saturday's other semifinal game.
Sunday's final will be a rematch of the gold-medal game from June's world para hockey championship in Moose Jaw. The United States won that encounter 6-1.
The U.S. also beat Canada 5-0 in the gold-medal game at the 2022 Beijing Olympics.
