Fans of the Kootenay Ice may notice a familiar face behind the bench for Canada’s Paralympic sledge hockey team at the upcoming Pyeongchang games.
Luke Pierce, who was at the helm of the Ice for two seasons, between 2015 and 2017, has served as an assistant coach with Hockey Canada for the men’s national Para ice hockey team since September and will join the team in South Korea.
The Canadian team, which is led by head coach Ken Babey, announced their roster on February 11. They are set to kick off their tournament on March 10 with a game against Sweden (3 a.m. MST).
In their most recent game prior to the tournament, Canada beat the defending gold medal champion United States 3-0 in Port Colborne, Ontario on February 10.
Canada has only won gold once since the introduction of the sport at the 1994 Lillehammer games, defeating Norway in 2006. At Sochi 2014, the Canadians were Bronze medalists after losing to the United States in the semifinals and then beating Norway to end their tournament.
The 2018 Pyeongchang Paralympics kick off on March 9, 2018, and conclude on the 18th with the gold medal Para ice hockey game serving as the final event.
