The United States meets Canada here today in the gold-medal game of the 2019 Para Ice Hockey World Championship. Puck drop at Ostravar Arena is set for 4:30 p.m. local time (10:30 a.m. ET). The game will be broadcast live in the U.S. on the Olympic Channel and aired on NBCSN on tape-delay at 5:30 p.m. ET.
     The two teams are facing off for the seventh time this season, with the U.S. owning a 5-1 record. The last three world championships have ended with the two teams in the gold-medal game, with Team USA winning once (2015) and Canada twice (2013, 2017).

TITLE GAME REGULARS
Dating back to the 2015 IPC Sled Hockey World Championship, the United States and Canada have now met in the championship game of eight consecutive international tournaments. The U.S. holds a 7-1 advantage, with its lone loss coming in the 2017 Para Ice Hockey World Championship. 
     A year ago, the U.S. came from behind in dramatic fashion to capture the gold medal at the 2018 Paralympic Winter Games with a 2-1 overtime win. Declan Farmer (Tampa, Fla.) scored the game-tying goal with 37.8 seconds left in regulation and tallied the golden goal 3:30 into overtime.

ONE FINAL SKATE
Today's game is the final game of the 2018-19 season for the U.S. National Sled Hockey Team. Through 11 games this season, the U.S. holds an overall record of 10-0-0-1 (W-OTW-OTL-L). Declan Farmer (Tampa, Fla.) leads the team in points with 28 (15-13) as well as team-best 15 goals while Brody Roybal (Northlake, Ill.) leads all U.S. skaters with 14 assists. In net, Steve Cash (Overland, Mo.) has a pristine 7-0 record, which includes all five of Team USA's wins over Canada this season.

U.S. AMONG TOURNAMENT'S BEST
The United States enters today's gold-medal contest ranking first overall in six statistical categories, including powerplay efficiency (57.14%), penalty kill (100.00%), goals-against-average (0.75), save percentage (.885%), shorthanded goals (3) and a tournament-low seven penalties taken. Additionally, Team USA's 27 goals for is second to only Canada's 29.
     Among players, Declan Farmer leads the tournament in faceoff efficiency (73.5%), sits second in points with 12 (6-6), fourth in goals (6) and tied for second in assists (6). Jack Wallace is tied for the tournament lead with seven goals. Additionally, as Team USA's starting goaltender, Steve Cash ranks third among all starting goaltenders with a 1.13 goals-against-average and fourth in save percentage with .864.

EYEING U.S. TOURNAMENT RECORDS
With 12 points entering the final day of tournament play, Declan Farmer sits third on the all-time point-getter list by U.S. players while his six goals are tied for fourth all-time while his six assists are tied for fourth all-time. Jack Wallace's seven goals place him third on the all-time U.S. goal-scorer list in world championship play while Steve Cash's two shutouts are tied for third-most by a U.S. goaltender in a single world championship. As a starter, Cash actually holds every U.S. goaltender record in world championship play.