LEDUC, Alberta – The U.S. National Sled Team advanced to the championship game of the 2015 World Sled Hockey Challenge with an 8-0 win over Korea today at the Leduc Recreation Centre. Dan McCoy (Cheswick, Pa.) had five points, Adam Page (Lancaster, N.Y.) and Josh Misiewicz (La Grange, Ill.) each scored twice, and Steve Cash (Overland, Mo.) recorded his second consecutive shutout in the victory.
“I thought the first two periods weren’t our strongest of the tournament,” said Jeff Sauer, head coach of the U.S. National Sled Hockey Team. “Fortunately, we got things taken care of in the third and can now turn our attention to Saturday’s game.”
After a scoreless first period, Team USA opened the scoring on the power play 10:24 into the second stanza. Nikko Landeros (Chicago, Ill.) took a pass from Declan Farmer (Tampa, Fla.) and found Kevin McKee (Chicago, Ill.) in front of the net to give USA the 1-0 lead.
Team USA extended its lead early in the final frame with three goals over a span of two minutes. Landeros’ third goal of the tournament came when he collected the puck behind Korea’s net, flipped it onto his stick, and finished a wraparound attempt. McCoy scored 24 seconds later from the hash marks before Farmer tucked one under the bar to make it 4-0.
With the United States on the two-man advantage, newcomer Misiewicz made it 5-0 with his first goal as a member of Team USA. A minute later he grabbed his second goal of the game to extend USA’s lead to 6-0. Page connected twice within 20 seconds in the final minute of play to seal the victory.
Team USA will play in the championship game on Saturday (Feb. 7) versus the winner of tonight’s semifinal game between Canada and Russia. Puck drop is set for 7 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) W, 8-0
Sat., Feb. 7 Championship Game 7:00 p.m ET
NOTES: Josh Misiewicz was named U.S. Player of the Game … Nikko Landeros, Declan Farmer and Brody Roybal (3-2—5) have points in all four games … Team USA outshot Korea, 38-4 … 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.
