MILANO, ITALY — Declan Farmer recorded a hat trick and the United States scored five power-play goals to defeat China 7–1 on March 10 in a physical preliminary round game at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena.

China’s aggressive play led to repeated trips to the penalty box, and the Americans took advantage. The United States built a 6–0 lead through two periods and finished with a 31–9 advantage in shots on goal.

FAST START FOR UNITED STATES

Josh Pauls, competing in his fourth Paralympic Games, gave the U.S. a 1-0 lead midway through the first period with his first goal of the tournament. Pauls fired a shot from the left face-off circle with assists from Brody Roybal and Jack Wallace.

Declan Farmer, a three-time Paralympian and one of the most prolific scorers in para ice hockey, extended the lead less than three minutes later when he finished a play set up by Roybal to make it 2–0.

Pauls said China’s development as a program was evident despite the result.

“I think China has come a long way,” Pauls said. “They skate so much better than they did in Beijing, and they’re utilizing each other a lot more. I think the future’s really bright for them.”

PENALTIES SWING SECOND PERIOD

China’s physical style continued into the second period, resulting in additional penalties and extended time with the man advantage for the United States.

Brody Roybal, a two-time Paralympic gold medalist, scored the first of his two goals early in the period with the man advantage after assists from Farmer and Evan Nichols.

Roybal said the physical tone of the game was expected entering the matchup.

“It was physical today,” Roybal said. “We expected that going into it and tried to be as careful as possible because injuries can happen and you don’t want to put yourself out for the rest of the tournament.”

Farmer added his second goal at even strength with an assist from workhorse Jack Wallace, who logged more than 26 minutes of ice time. Later in the period Roybal scored again with a man advantage to push the lead to 5–0.

CUNNINGHAM SCORES FIRST PARALYMPIC GOAL

Late in the second period, rookie Paralympian Liam Cunningham scored his first Paralympic goal when the puck returned to him high in the zone and he fired through traffic with the extra skater to extend the lead to 6–0.

“I’m not used to doing a lot of power-play time,” Cunningham said. “It popped right back out to me and I had a pretty clean shot, so for it to go in and get on the board felt good.”

Four-time Paralympian goaltender Jen Lee said Cunningham’s moment was rewarding to see.

“Liam has been coming for a long time,” Lee said. “Now the big stage is his, and he’s able to embrace it and score that goal.”

Farmer completed his hat trick and scored the final goal for the Americans early in the third period. He beat fresh Chinese netminder Ji Yanzhao, who replaced starter Wang Wei during the second intermission, to make it 7–0. China later broke through when Zhu Zhanfu scored at 34:28.

Roybal and Farmer each finished with five points in the game, continuing a long partnership that Roybal said helps the team generate chances on special teams.

“Me and Declan have been playing together for 15 years at this point,” Roybal said. “You just know the nuances in each other’s game.”

Farmer said the team’s success reflects contributions across the lineup, including younger players making an early impact.

“Hockey’s a team sport at its heart,” Farmer said. “My role is the one that gets the most credit, but everyone has a job.”

SEMIFINALS AHEAD

The job, however, is not finished. Team USA returns to the ice Friday in the semifinals, where the Americans will face Czechia in the opening semifinal. Canada will meet China in the other semifinal later that evening.