U.S. Para Ice Hockey Opens Paralympic Defense With 14–1 Rout of Italy
The United States para ice hockey team wasted little time announcing its presence at the 2026 Milano-Cortina Paralympic Winter Games, rolling past host nation Italy 14–1 in its tournament opener Saturday night at the Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena.
Despite falling behind just 25 seconds into the opening period — when Italy’s Christoph Depaoli stunned the near-capacity crowd with an early strike — the four-time defending Paralympic champions quickly regained their footing. David Eustace answered to tie the game, and the Americans steadily took control from there, carrying a 3–1 lead into the first intermission while outshooting Italy by a wide margin.
Brett Bolton scored his first Paralympic goal to give the United States its initial lead, and Declan Farmer extended the advantage before the break as the U.S. began establishing sustained pressure in the Italian zone. Head coach David Hoff credited his team’s composure after giving up the opening goal and noted the squad settled in quickly once the early noise died down.
One of the more memorable moments of the opening period came when U.S. goaltender Jen Lee turned aside a penalty shot from Italy’s Nikko Landeros — a former U.S. national team teammate — preserving the American lead and providing an early highlight for the defending champions.
The floodgates opened in the second period. Farmer posted a hat trick in the frame, while Bolton, Kevin McKee, Noah Grove and Kayden Beasley — the latter two each scoring their first Paralympic goals — combined for seven U.S. tallies to turn a tight opening period into a runaway. Farmer noted afterward the importance of getting younger players on the scoresheet early in the tournament.
Italy attempted to slow the American attack midway through the period by changing goaltenders, inserting Santino Stillitano in place of Julian Kasslatter, but the move had little effect. By the final buzzer, Italy’s goaltenders had faced 53 shots from the U.S. attack.
The home crowd, numbering close to 9,000, remained spirited throughout — chanting “Italia,” singing along with arena music and sustaining a wave around the building for more than two minutes.
The United States added four more goals in the third period, from Malik Jones, Evan Nichols, Jack Wallace and a late tally from Eustace. Nine different players found the scoresheet on the night. Captain Josh Pauls called the balanced offensive output an encouraging sign for the team going forward, while Hoff stressed the importance of maintaining focus and playing the right way every shift regardless of the score.
The United States returns to the ice Monday against Germany, which fell to China in its opening game Saturday.