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Mar 15, 2010---Czechmate: Team USA Overcomes a Wall in Net, Skating Past Czech Republic to Remain Unbeaten |
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 In what was a nasty, hit-happy game, Team USA attempted to go into their day off tomorrow with a perfect record of two wins and zero losses. Their opponents, the Czech Republic, did everything in their power to put a blemish on that record. The Czechs got a superb performance out of their goalie Michal Vapenka, whose efforts almost gave them the victory. Alas, his brilliance was not enough, as his teammates had trouble getting off shots all night long, and once they got the puck near the net, U.S. goalkeeper Steve Cash ably turned their shots aside. The Czechs fell to the Americans, 3-0, and Team USA, who still need to work out some kinks, are starting to look like the bona-fide gold medal threat they were initially slated to be.
From the start, this looked like a different U.S. sled hockey team from yesterday. Not even 24 hours had elapsed since their 5-0 victory against Korea, and yet today’s effort was a far more focused and consistent one. Taylor Lipsett scored his third goal of these Paralympics halfway through the first, going coast-to-coast and putting the puck top shelf to open the game’s scoring. Later on in the period, in what became one of their very few scoring chances, the Czechs worked their way up the ice toward the U.S. zone with a series of precise passes and graceful moves, only to be greeted rudely by a clean but vicious hit by American Defenseman Nikko Landeros, who had a very strong game despite not showing up on the stat sheet. Alexi Salamone and Jim Connelly added goals in the second and third periods, respectively, as the shot output was consistent throughout. The Czech Republic did not seem able to recover from Landeros’ mammoth blow, for while they did not lie down for the Americans, they mustered only six shots on goal, all of which were stopped by U.S. goalie Steve Cash, who recorded his second consecutive shutout. Indeed, the Czechs must be sick to their collective stomachs, given that they had nothing to show for the remarkable performance put forth by Vapenka. His play between the pipes was the best I’ve ever seen in a sled hockey game, and even though he let in three and took the loss in the process, it would be nothing short of criminal if his 20 saves—nearly all of which were of the acrobatic, spectacular kind—went overlooked. Conversely, the U.S. players deserve credit for refusing to allow the dynamic Czech to get into their heads. They kept the pressure on him throughout the contest, adopting a kind of gatling gun approach to the game, continuously firing shots from all angles and figuring that some were bound to find the back of the net. They did, and Team USA prevailed. After a day off tomorrow, the U.S. will face Japan on Tuesday, while the Czech Republic will play yesterday’s fallen foe, Korea.
For more coverage of the 2010 Winter Paralympics in Vancouver, please visit www.WheelchairSportsFederation.org
Written by Peter Quartuccio
Photos by Carter Farmer
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Mar 14, 2010---U.S. Paralympic Sled Hockey Team Tops the Czech Republic, 3-0, at 2010 Paralympic Winter Games |
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From USA Hockey Website:
VANCOUVER, B.C. - The U.S. Paralympic Sled Hockey Team logged its second consecutive shutout victory as it topped the Czech Republic, 3-0, here this afternoon in its second preliminary-round game of the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games.
Alexi Salamone (Grand Island, N.Y.) notched his second straight multiple-point night with a goal and an assist, while Steve Cash (Overland, Mo.) turned aside all six shots faced.
"We were able to generate chances throughout the night," said Ray Maluta, head coach of the U.S. Paralympic Sled Hockey Team. "Cash came up big a couple of times to keep the Czech Republic at bay, and our pressure was consistent."
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Team USA celebrated its second victory of the tournament when it beat Czech Republic on Sunday night.
Photos from the game
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The U.S. took a 1-0 lead midway through the opening period with its third power-play goal of the tournament. Following a faceoff win by Joe Howard (Kingston, Mass.), Salamone dropped a pass to Taylor Chace (Hampton Falls, N.H.) at the blue line. His long shot was turned aside by Czech Republic goalie Michal Vapenka, but Taylor Lipsett (Mesquite, Texas) collected the rebound and notched his third goal of the tournament.
Salamone gave Team USA a 2-0 lead with three minutes remaining in the second period. Starting from his own blue line, Salamone rushed through the neutral zone and weaved around a pair of Czech Republic defensemen to the right circle. His high wrist shot beat Vapenka to give the U.S. a two-goal cushion heading into the final frame.
The U.S. put the game out of reach less than four minutes into the third period. Team USA captain Andy Yohe (Bettendorf, Iowa) took a pass from Howard in the high slot and slid the puck to a waiting Jimmy Connelly (Galloway, N.J.) at the left circle. The defenseman fired a quick snap shot that beat Vapenka low.
The U.S. will secure a spot in the tournament's semifinal round later this evening should Japan register at least one point in its game against South Korea. Team USA (2-0-0-0) will next face off against Japan in both teams' third and final preliminary-round tilt Tuesday (March 16) at 5 p.m. PDT.
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Mar 14, 2010---Bad Day on White Ice for Korea, Losing Twice to Team USA |
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The first day of Paralympic competition saw the U.S. and Korea battle against each other in two sports, wheelchair curling and sled hockey, with Team USA getting the best of the Koreans in both matchups. First came curling, which was far from the one-sided affair the sled hockey game proved to be. It was back and forth the entire game, with neither squad able to pull ahead by taking advantage of the other’s missed opportunities. The most consistent player on either side was almost certainly Team USA’s vice grip James Pierce. He was nothing short of an assassin down the stretch of the game, making throw after clutch throw. Thanks to Pierce’s sniper accuracy, the U.S. pulled ahead 8-6 in the 7th end, and didn’t relinquish their lead despite an all-out effort by Korea in the 8th end, winning the game by a final tally of 9 to 6.
Team USA and Korea faced off again, this time at the UBC Thunderbird Arena for sled hockey. Excitement and anticipation pervaded the arena, encircling it and those within like a thick fog. The game started with a penalty, as U.S. Forward Tim Jones was sent to the box for Interference a mere seven seconds into the game. This was a sign of things to come, as the referees ended up calling a staggering total of eleven penalties in the contest. This, however, did not mar the action, as both teams provided big hits and, for the most part, a high level of play for the majority of the game. American Defenseman Taylor Chace got the scoring started for the U.S., scoring a first period goal three minutes and forty-five seconds into the match. He got help from teammates Alexi Salamone and Taylor Lipsett, both of whom scored power play goals in the second period. Team USA, however, essentially sleepwalked through the third period, making sloppy, lackadaisical passes and committing a whopping two Too Many Players on the Ice penalties in a matter of minutes. They nevertheless were able to close out the victory thanks to the Taylors Chace and Lipsett, who each scored their second goals of the game in the third. Despite the aggressive style of the Americans, Korea never seemed to fold under the intense pressure put on them by Team USA, and they deserve credit for not cowering before their immensely talented opponents. The U.S. was victorious 5-0 before an overwhelmingly pro-Korean crowd, something that is to be expected given the rivalry between Team USA and the Canadians. This is something the U.S. Olympians had to contend with last month, and it is a trend that will surely continue through the Paralympics as well. Team USA better get used to it.
For more coverage of the 2010 Winter Paralympics in Vancouver, please visit www.WheelchairSportsFederation.org
Written by Peter Quartuccio
Photos by Carter Farmer
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Mar 13, 2010---U.S. Paralympic Sled Hockey Team Blanks South Korea, 5-0, in 2010 Paralympic Winter Games Opener |
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From USA Hockey Website:
VANCOUVER, B.C. - The U.S. Paralympic Sled Hockey Team blanked South Korea, 5-0, this afternoon in its opening tilt of the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games. Taylor Chace (Hampton Falls, N.H.) and Taylor Lipsett (Mesquite, Texas) each notched a pair of goals, while Steve Cash (Overland, Mo.) collected his first career Paralympic shutout.
"This was a good opening game for us," said Ray Maluta, head coach of the U.S. Paralympic Sled Hockey Team. "We got our Paralympic jitters out of the way early and came away with a solid victory that we can build on."
Team USA grabbed a 1-0 lead less than four minutes into the first period. Greg Shaw (Park City, Utah) rushed into the offensive zone where he and Nikko Landeros (Berthoud, Colo.) got tangled up with a pair of South Korean defenders. The puck squirted to the high slot, where Chace fired a shot that bounced off goalie Hyuk-Jun Choi's right shoulder and into the net.
The U.S. extended its lead to 3-0 in the second period with a pair of power-play markers. Five minutes into the frame, Joe Howard (Kingston, Mass.) won an offensive-zone faceoff and located Alexi Salamone (Grand Island, N.Y.) darting towards the slot. Salamone received the pass and fired a shot high off the crossbar and into the net. Then, in the period's final minute, Lipsett banged a post-to-post pass from Salamone off of Choi's glove and over the goal line.
Lipsett buried his second goal of the night midway through the third period. A South Korean turnover rolled right to Lipsett at the near post, where he jammed the loose puck under Choi. Chace concluded the night's scoring in the game's final minute when he pinched in from his defensive position, stickhandled through the slot and beat Choi low to the blocker side.
Cash turned aside five shots for a shutout in his first Paralympic Winter Games start of his career. He was a member of the 2006 U.S. Paralympic Sled Hockey Team that won bronze in Torino, Italy, but did not play.
Team USA (1-0-0-0) will next face off against the Czech Republic in both teams' second preliminary-round tilt tomorrow (March 14) at 5 p.m. PDT.
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Mar 13, 2010---Paralympic Opening Ceremony |
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Opening Ceremony: Root for the Home Team, but Appreciate and Cherish the Home Crowd
Written by Peter Quartuccio
There they sat. Spectators draped in green, white, and shades of blue, waving their illuminating pompoms that set the BC Place aglow with a vibrant red. As they cheered and applauded and sang, one got the sense that they could not have been prouder. Last night’s Opening Ceremony for the 2010 Winter Paralympic Games in Vancouver proved a thoroughly moving and memorable evening, one which celebrated Canada, Canadians, and the Paralympians in attendance who, in the words of International Paralympic Committee President Sir Philip Craven, “redefine the possible.”
Athletes from forty-four countries spread across five continents proudly entered BC Place last night, each with a story of triumph and each with a dream for Paralympic glory. They were cheered and addressed and lauded all night, and while the celebrity appearances and thoughtful though redundant speeches were many, the focus never strayed far from the athletes and the setting for the games to come. The ceremony exuded a sincere pride for country, a country that has provided inspiration for so many in the persons of Terry Fox and Rick Hansen, athletes who helped expand the notions of what was possible for disabled individuals in athletic competition.
All of the festivities were aided of course by the aforementioned wonderful people fortunate enough to be present. There was an effervescent feel to the proceedings that lent a real energy among the crowd, an energy that was evident throughout. There were roars of anticipatory fervor when the mere implication of a United States-Canada sled hockey match-up was made by Sir Craven, who termed it “the clash of the titans.” When British Columbia native and Paralympic champion Rick Hansen was announced, the crowd erupted and showered Hansen with boomingly loud cheers of adulation and respect. The lighting of the flame produced a similarly emphatic response, and the faces of the thousands in the stands emitted pure joy as watched that enduring flame ignite. The torch and all it stands got a captive audience tonight, an audience whose passion, reverence, and excitement contributed to making last night a truly magical evening.
To see additional coverage of the 2010 Winter Paralympic Games in Vancouver, go to www.WheelchairSportsFederation.org.
Click here for more photos of the opening ceremony.
All photographs by Carter Farmer
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