Jack Wallace said he still has a bad taste in his mouth from this past May.
After winning three straight gold medals at the World Para Ice Hockey Championship, the U.S. had to settle for a silver medal at the 2024 edition of the tournament due to a 2-1 loss to Canada in the gold-medal game.
As the 26-year-old defenseman from Franklin Lakes, New Jersey, pointed out, the U.S. ran into a hot goaltender and fell just short of winning a fourth consecutive world title.
“Obviously, losing a world championship, it’s never fun,” said Wallace, a two-time Paralympic gold medalist and three-time world champion. “I don’t think anyone on the team had the impression that we went out there and kind of laid an egg and had a really bad game and a really bad performance.”
The Americans now get their first opportunity for redemption as they participate in the third-annual International Para Hockey Cup, which takes place Oct. 7-13 at Ostravar Arena in Ostrava, Czechia.
The U.S. is the two-time defending champions and hasn’t lost a game in the tournament thus far.
“You want [the world championships] to be motivation, but you don’t want to make it more than it is, too,” said David Hoff, head coach of the U.S. National Sled Hockey Team. “When we don’t have a night where we’re at our absolute best, we are susceptible to being beat. It’ll be interesting just to see where we’re at. I still feel pretty good about the lineup we put on the ice.”
The IPH Cup kicks off the 2024-25 season and helps Hoff to identify the national team roster and the young players he hopes to develop.
“That’s made the process a lot better,” Hoff said. “We feel a lot better about our picks, our selections. We have some good young players. Are they ready, or are they not quite ready?”
The world championship showed that other countries are closing the talent gap with the U.S. In addition to the gold-medal game loss, the Americans were pressed by Czechia in the semifinals before prevailing with a 3-1 victory.
Having to battle in closer games throughout international tournaments is something Hoff hopes to see more of.
“The scores of the games have gotten much better, but we all wanted that, too,” Hoff said. “It’s good for the sport. We’ve definitely tried to do our part in practicing with other countries and giving them our thoughts on it. I don’t know if they’ve quite caught up, but they’ve definitely closed the gap.”
Wallace agreed that stronger competition will benefit sled hockey.
“All bets are off, and that’s really what we’ve been striving for the past couple years,” Wallace said. “We’ve held training camps with other countries around the world, and we really wanted to raise the level of the sport.
“It puts a better product out there for people watching at home, and it makes the stakes higher for every game. We’ve had a saying on the team for a long time: ‘Iron sharpens iron.’ It’s raising our game just as much. We want the sport to continue to grow.”
Hoff said he does not want his team to become complacent due to past success. The IPH Cup will provide an early chance to see if the team has improved during the offseason.
“You’re either getting better or you’re getting worse,” Hoff said. “There’s no in between when it comes to that. We want to compete hard, practice hard. Hopefully, if we do that and stay healthy, we’ll have a good season.”
Wallace said that he can’t wait to get back on the ice after the disappointing finish at worlds, adding that he’s also excited about traveling with his teammates and spending time together off the ice again.
Last offseason, Wallace split his training between hockey and paracanoe. After he narrowly missed making the U.S. paracanoe team for the Paris Paralympics, Wallace spent this entire offseason solely focused on hockey.
With a lot of roster continuity from the past few international tournaments, Wallace is expecting the U.S. to gel and play at a high level in Czechia.
“The depth and skill level of this team just keeps getting bigger and better every year,” Wallace said. “We’re really excited to come back at it with the same group we had in years past.
“The Czechs always do an absolutely fantastic job putting on this tournament. So, it’s a really fun atmosphere to play in, as well.”
Story from Red Line Editorial, Inc.
