Shannon Coulter
Canada’s Paralympic Hockey Team looks to build upon its opening-game win when it faces Japan in Group B play Monday at the 2026 Paralympic Winter Games.
Last Game
It was a strong start for Canada on Saturday, shutting out Slovakia 8-0. James Dunn and Vincent Boily led the offence with two goals and an assist apiece, and Liam Hickey scored a goal and added two helpers. Tyler McGregor had a goal and an assist in his 200th game wearing the Maple Leaf, while Auren Halbert and Dominic Cozzolino rounded out the scoring for the Canadians, who outshot Slovakia 51-2.
Japan opened its tournament with a 3-2 loss to Czechia on Saturday. Kazuyoshi Niitsu started the scoring for the Japanese just past the six-minute mark of the first period and Itsuki Ito tied it 2-2 early in the middle frame. Wataru Horie was terrific between the pipes, making 27 saves.
Last Meeting
We have to go all the way back to Vancouver for when Canada and Japan last met on the Paralympic stage. The two teams tangoed in the semifinals, where the Canadians fell 3-1 to the Japanese. Marc Doiron opened the scoring on a first-period power play and Paul Rosen made eight saves, but two goals in the final three minutes were the difference for the Japanese.
More recently, Canada opened the 2024 World Para Hockey Championship by earning a 19-0 win over Japan. Dominic Cozzolino finished with four goals and eight points, Tyler McGregor and Liam Hickey added a hat trick and four assists each, and Tyrone Henry had five helpers.
What to Watch
Boily and Halbert made an impact in their Paralympic debuts on Saturday; Boily had a goal and an assist in the decisive first period, while Halbert also found the back of the net in the opening frame. Boily has found chemistry with Dunn and Cozzolino on Canada’s second line; he is up to 11 points (4-6—10) in 13 games this season, and his three-point effort against the Slovaks is a season-high. Halbert has become a key piece of the blue line for the Canadians. Paired with stay-at-home specialist Shawn Burnett, the Calgary product scored for the second time in three games in Italy (including pre-tournament play) and is up to nine points (4-5—9) for the season. Back up front, Anton Jacobs-Webb will make a little history against Japan, becoming the 19th player to reach the 100-game milestone with Team Canada.
Japan missed out on the 2022 Paralympic Games, but has itself back on the biggest stage in sport after winning the Paralympic qualification tournament in Norway in November. Ito is the star for the Japanese—the 20-year-old recorded 26 points (15-11—26) in five games at the World Para Hockey Championship (B Pool) last year and was named Best Forward at the Paralympic qualification tournament after recording 10 points (6-4—10) in five games. The Japanese roster also has the fourth woman to ever compete in para hockey at the Paralympics, Akari Fukunishi. The defender played for Team World at the first women’s world championship in Slovakia last year, recording five points in three games.
A Look Back
This is the fourth meeting between the Canada and Japan at the Paralympic Winter Games.
The first and only Canadian victory came in the first meeting in 1998, a 3-0 shutout win during the preliminary round in Nagano.
All-time record: Japan leads 2-1 Canada goals: 5 Japan goals: 5