After winning its season opener 8-0 against Czechia on Monday (Oct. 7), Team USA followed that up with a thrilling 2-1 overtime victory over Canada on Tuesday (Oct. 8) to move to 2-0-0-0 (W-OTW-OTL-L) at the tournament. Jack Wallace (Franklin Lakes, N.J.) scored the game-winning goal 19 seconds into the extra period and netminder Griffin LaMarre (Haverhill, Mass.) was named U.S. Player of the Game.
Italy enters the matchup with a 0-0-0-2 (W-OTW-OTL-L) record after dropping its first two preliminary round games to Czechia and Canada earlier this week.
The U.S. and Italy have faced off 11 times across all competitions, with Team USA holding an 11-0-0-0 (W-OTW-OTL-L-T) record.
The U.S. and Italy last met in semifinals of the 2022 Para Hockey Cup in Bridgewater, Nova Scotia. The U.S. skated to an 11-0 victory and went on to win the tournament championship.
Every game from the four-team event, which runs through Oct. 13, will stream live on the Czechia Para Hockey YouTube channel. The semifinals are scheduled for Saturday (Oct. 12), and the championship game will be played Sunday (Oct. 13).
The U.S. is unbeaten at the IPH Cup since the inaugural tournament in 2022, holding a 12-0-0-0 (W-OTW-OTL-L) record all-time at the event, including back-to-back tournament titles.
