LEDUC, Alberta – Nikko Landeros (Johnstown, Colo.) scored twice and Steve Cash (Overland, Mo.) made 13 saves as the U.S. National Sled Hockey Team shut out Canada, 2-0, tonight in preliminary round action at the 2015 World Sled Hockey Challenge.
“I thought we played very strong for two and a half periods but lost our composure a bit in the third,” said Jeff Sauer, head coach of the U.S. National Sled Hockey Team. “Our goals tonight show that anything can happen when we get the puck on net.”
Both teams exchanged chances in front of a sellout crowd until Landeros scored with just over a minute left in the first period. Declan Farmer (Tampa, Fla.) won the faceoff in Canada’s zone allowing Brody Roybal (Northlake, Ill.) the chance to collect the puck and send it to the point where Landeros fired a shot top shelf.
After a scoreless second stanza, Landeros pushed Team USA’s lead to 2-0 with 6:09 left in the third period when his shot from above the hash marks found the back of the net. Farmer’s second assist of the game gave him his tournament-leading seventh point.
With the win, Team USA advances from preliminary round action with a perfect 3-0-0-0 (W-OTW-OTL-L) record for the first time in tournament play.
The U.S. National Sled Hockey Team will be back in action tomorrow (Feb. 5) when it squares off with Korea in the semifinal round of the 2015 World Sled Hockey Challenge. Puck drop is set for 2 p.m. ET and can be seen live on FastHockey.com.
2015 World Sled Hockey Challenge • Team USA Schedule
Feb. 1-7 – Leduc, Alberta – Leduc Recreation Centre
Date Opponent Time (ET)/Result
Sun., Feb. 1 Russia W, 3-2
Mon., Feb. 2 Korea W, 8-1
Wed., Feb. 4 Canada W, 2-0
Thurs., Feb. 5 Korea (Semifinal) 2:00 p.m.
Sat., Feb. 7 Third-Place Game 2:00 p.m.
Championship Game 7:00 p.m.
NOTES: Nikko Landeros was named the U.S. Player of the Game … Landeros (2-3—5), Declan Farmer (2-5– 7) and Brody Roybal (3-1—4) have points in all three games … The shutout was the first of the tournament for Steve Cash, extending his all-time shutout mark to 28 … Team USA outshot Canada, 21-13 … For full game statistics, click here … For complete Team USA coverage, click here … Follow @USAHockeyScores for in-game updates. Join the World Sled Hockey Challenge conversation on Twitter using the hashtag #WSHC.
