CANADA EVENS SLEDGE SERIES WITH WIN OVER U.S.

AMHERST, N.Y. – Derek Whitson (Chatham, Ont.) scored the game-winning goal midway through the second period and Greg Westlake (Oakville, Ont.) pulled closer to two more career milestones as Canada’s National Sledge Team even its three-game series with the United States with a 3-1 victory on Friday night.

Westlake, who scored his 100th career goal in Thursday’s series-opening 3-2 shootout loss, picked up two assists Friday to get to within one assist of 100 for his Team Canada career and within one point of 200.

Billy Bridges (Summerside, P.E.I) opened the scoring for Canada for the second night in a row and Brad Bowden (Orton, Ont.) added insurance with a power play goal in the third period to help the Canadians avoid back-to-back losses for the first time since the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games in Vancouver.

Just shy of the four-minute mark of the second period, Bridges took a pass from Westlake and snapped a shot from the left wing past American netminder Steve Cash.

Whitson doubled the lead six minutes later, redirecting a centering pass from Kevin Rempel (Vineland, Ont.) past Cash, and Bowden capped Canada’s scoring by rifling a shot under the crossbar with seven minutes remaining.

Josh Sweeney scored the lone American goal, ruining the shutout bid of Canadian goaltender Corbin Watson (Kingsville, Ont.) with 3:21 to go.

Watson finished with 16 saves as the U.S. outshot Canada 17-13.

The series wraps up Friday night with a 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT puck drop. Watch the game live via webcast at  www.fasthockey.com for $7.99.

Goals/Buts : 
None/Aucun

Penalties/Pénalités : 
None/Aucune

Goals/Buts : 
03:38 CAN Billy Bridges (Greg Westlake)
09:29 CAN Derek Whitson (Kevin Rempel)

Penalties/Pénalités : 
07:27 CAN Greg Westlake (Roughing/Rudesse)
07:27 CAN Billy Bridges (Roughing/Rudesse)
07:27 USA Taylor Lipsett (Roughing/Rudesse)
07:27 USA Taylor Chace (Roughing/Rudesse)

Goals/Buts : 
13:06 CAN Brad Bowden (Adam Dixon, Greg Westlake) PP/AN
16:39 USA Josh Sweeney (Rico Roman, Josh Pauls)

Penalties/Pénalités : 
12:12 CAN Billy Bridges (Roughing/Rudesse)
12:12 CAN Graeme Murray (Roughing/Rudesse)
12:12 USA Tim Jones (Roughing/Rudesse)
12:12 USA Taylor Lipsett (Roughing/Rudesse)
12:49 USA Nikko Landeros (Holding/Retenir)
13:28 CAN James Gemmell (Teeing/Charge en T)
16:52 CAN Billy Bridges (Elbowing/Donner du coude)