PARDUBICE, Czech Republic – Five different players scored, but U.S. National Inline Team fell to Canada, 6-5, in a shootout in the 2014 International Ice Hockey Federation Inline Hockey World Championship semifinals here today.
Team USA will play in the bronze-medal game tomorrow (June 7) against Sweden at 10:30 a.m. ET.
The back-and-forth affair featured several lead changes. Team Canada opened the scoring 1:09 into the game before Matt White (Whittier, Calif.) and P.J. Kavaya (San Clemente, Calif.) struck for a pair of goals in 10 seconds to give the U.S. a 2-1 lead. The Canadians evened the score at 2-2 in the final minute of the first quarter, but Tyler Spezia (Clinton Township, Mich.) put the United States back in front with a goal 5:28 into the second stanza.
Canada buried the equalizer later in the first half and then notched a power-play marker 4:37 into the third frame to grab a 4-3 edge. Pat Lee (Schaumburg, Ill.) answered with a goal 54 seconds later, but a Team Canada managed to score before the end of the quarter to take a 5-4 advantage into the fourth stanza.
Travis Noe (Thousand Oaks, Calif.) connected for a power-play tally just 1:47 into the frame to make it 5-5 and force the extra session.
Team USA fell in the shootout, 2-1, despite Noe finding the back of the net on the second U.S. try.
U.S. goaltender Jerry Kuhn (Southgate, Mich.) turned aside 14 shots in the loss.