(Richmond, BC – June 23rd) Team Canada claimed a 54-44 win over Sweden today to kick off its 2016 Canada Cup International Wheelchair Rugby Tournament campaign.
Though Canada started strong, Sweden brought the game back to a 26-26 tie at halftime. To start the third, Coach Orr subbed in Zak Madell, Miranda Biletski, Mike Whitehead and Trevor Hirschfield. The lineup quickly forced four turnovers to build a lead. Canada never looked back, finishing the game with a double-digit lead.
“We knew that Sweden was going to be strong,” said Coach Orr after the game. “We let our foot off the gas a bit in the second, but we were able to regroup and come together to get the win.”
Tomorrow will be the most difficult day for Team Canada. They will play against Great Britain at noon, then Japan at 7 pm.
“It’s going to be a battle,” said Orr. “We match up well against Great Britain, so we’ll need to come out fighting and work hard for every possession. It’s time to start proving ourselves for Rio.”
Elsewhere in Canada Cup action, the USA eked out a 50-48 win over Great Britain in the final 7 seconds of the game. Australia beat Japan 63-58.
