INDIAN TRAIL, N.C. – Declan Farmer (Tampa, Fla.) and Brody Roybal (Northlake, Ill.) each recorded a goal and an assist and Steve Cash (Overland, Mo.) made eight saves to lead the U.S. National Sled Hockey Team to a 2-0 victory over Canada today at Extreme Ice Center in Indian Trail, North Carolina, and a sweep of three-game series.
The U.S. won the series opener, 2-0, on Thursday (March 26) and earned a 3-1 victory yesterday (March 27).
“Three games three days in a row is a lot of hockey but I think we improved with every game,” said Guy Gosselin, acting head coach of the U.S. National Sled Hockey Team. “We knew this last game was going to be tough. I thought our team discipline was very good and our guys really stepped up and battled to finish the series.”
Cash was busy early, stopping a breakaway just :20 into the contest. The teams traded chances throughout the opening frame before Farmer’s power-play goal beat Canada goaltender Corbin Watson with 5:54 left in the first period. Canada nearly leveled the scoring with 13.6 seconds left when a shot from the point rang off the crossbar and out of play.
The U.S. made it 2-0 just two minutes into the second stanza. Farmer picked up a loose puck and passed it back to Nikko Landeros (Johnstown, Colo.) who fed Roybal in the left circle for a shot that beat Watson high to the blocker side. Dominic Larocque replaced Watson in net a minute and finished the game for Canada.
Cash, who had two shutouts in the series, finished the three games with a 0.33 goals-against-average and .964 save percentage.
The U.S. National Sled Hockey Team will return to action April 26 when it opens play in the 2015 IPC Ice Sledge Hockey World Championships at HARBORCENTER in Buffalo, New York. For tournament information, click here.
2015 USA vs. Canada Sled Series
Mar. 26-28 – Indian Trail, N.C. – Extreme Ice Center
Date Result Game Stats
Thurs., March 26 W, 2-0 Game Stats
Fri., March 27 W, 3-1 Game Stats
Sat., March 28 W, 2-0 Game Stats
NOTES: For full game statistics, click here … The U.S. has won seven straight games vs. Canada with a 17-3 cumulative scoring margin in those contests … Brody Roybal (5-6–10) has a point in every U.S. game this season … Declan Farmer (4-10–14) leads Team USA in points while Kevin McKee (6-3–9) leads the team in goals … Guy Gosselin (Grafton, Wis.), assistant coach for the U.S. National Sled Hockey Team, served as the acting head coach for Team USA for the three-game series vs. Canada. Jeff Sauer (Madison, Wis.), currently in his fourth season as head coach of the U.S. National Sled Hockey Team, missed the series to coach the U.S. Deaflympic Ice Hockey Team in the 18th Winter Deaflympics in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia … Dan Brennan (Colorado Springs, Colo.), director of sled and inline national teams for USA Hockey, is the general manager of the 2015 U.S. National Sled Hockey Team.
