A hat trick from Declan Farmer powered the United States to a 7–1 para ice hockey victory over China while Team USA cross-country athletes captured two gold medals and a silver in sprint competition
Team USA delivered a dominant day across two sports at the Paralympic Winter Games, earning a commanding victory in para ice hockey and collecting three medals in para cross-country sprint events.
In para ice hockey, the United States defeated China 7–1 in preliminary-round action, powered by a hat trick from Declan Farmer and a five-goal performance on the power play. The Americans capitalized on repeated Chinese penalties to build a 6–0 lead through two periods while outshooting their opponents 31–9.
Veteran defenseman Josh Pauls opened the scoring midway through the first period with his first goal of the tournament. Less than three minutes later, Farmer doubled the lead after a setup from longtime teammate Brody Roybal. The early surge set the tone for a game in which the United States controlled possession and special teams.
China’s physical approach resulted in extended penalty trouble during the second period, allowing the United States to expand its advantage. Roybal scored twice with the man advantage, while Farmer added another goal at even strength. Rookie Liam Cunningham capped the period by scoring his first Paralympic goal on the power play, pushing the margin to 6–0.
Farmer completed his hat trick early in the third period, beating Chinese goaltender Ji Yanzhao to make it 7–0 before China’s Zhu Zhanfu scored late to break up the shutout. Farmer and Roybal each finished with five points, continuing one of the most productive partnerships in international para ice hockey.
The victory sends the United States into the semifinals against Czechia, while China will face Canada in the other semifinal.
Team USA also produced strong results in para cross-country sprint races at the Tesero Cross-Country Skiing Stadium, earning two gold medals and a silver.
Oksana Masters captured gold in the women’s sitting sprint after posting the fastest qualifying time and advancing confidently through the semifinal round. She surged past the leaders on the final climb into the stadium to secure the win, marking a major achievement after finishing second in the event at the previous Paralympic Games.
In the women’s standing sprint, Sydney Peterson claimed the silver medal. Peterson advanced through qualification and the semifinal round before finishing second in the final behind Norway’s Vilde Nilsen.
Another gold medal came in the men’s visually impaired sprint, where Jake Adicoff and guide Peter Wolter delivered a strong performance. The pair quickly erased the staggered start in the final and held off a late challenge from China to secure victory.
Other U.S. competitors advanced through qualification rounds but narrowly missed podium opportunities. In the men’s sitting sprint, Aaron Pike reached the semifinal stage but did not advance to the final, while Danielle Aravich placed sixth in the women’s standing final.
With a decisive hockey win and three Nordic sprint medals, the United States continued a strong start to the Paralympic competition. Upcoming Nordic events will shift to longer interval-start races in Val di Fiemme, testing endurance and pacing across multiple laps, while the hockey tournament moves into the semifinal stage.