Canada’s women’s Para ice hockey team claimed the top spot in their group following a dominant 10-0 victory against Team World at the Para Ice Hockey Women’s World Championships in Dolny Kubin, Slovakia. Key players Raphaelle Tousignant and Alyssa White each netted hat tricks, while goalie Maggie Manning secured a shutout. With this win, Canada earned three points, positioning them ahead of Team World and Great Britain in Group B. The tournament, featuring six teams including Canada, the United States, Britain, Australia, Norway, and Team World, composed of players from nine nations, will continue until Sunday.
In Group B, Team USA leads with three points after an 8-0 win over Australia. The top two teams from each group will progress to the semifinals on Saturday, with the medal matches scheduled for Sunday. All games are being broadcast live on the Paralympic YouTube channel and the World Para Ice Hockey Facebook page.
World Para Ice Hockey aims to host at least two women’s world championships before proposing to the International Paralympic Committee’s governing board for inclusion as a standalone women’s sport at the 2030 Paralympics. Currently, Para ice hockey at the Paralympics is mixed-gender, with only three women, two from Norway and one from China, having participated. This gender disparity is a significant factor contributing to the limited representation of women at the Winter Games, where only 24% of the 564 athletes in Beijing were female.
Women’s Para hockey, not recognized as a Paralympic sport, operates independently from Hockey Canada, with financial support primarily from corporate sponsors and supporters. Players have historically funded their participation in training camps and events since the program’s establishment in 2007. However, ahead of the world championships, the team received substantial financial backing from various sponsors, alleviating the burden on players who initially anticipated covering significant costs individually.