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GATINEAU, August 13, 2022: A dramatic semi-final
win over USA lands host Canada in the gold-medal
match of the 15th Men’s Pan American Cup at the
Centre Slush Puppie arena in Gatineau, Quebec.
Canada prevailed in five sets 3-2 (22-25, 21-25,
29-27, 25-23, 15-12) after the U.S. looked in
control of the first half of the match.
Canada had a strong start in set three, then USA
evened it up at the 11-point mark, but the home
crowd-favourites kept fighting and managed to
close the third after five set-point
opportunities.
The fourth set was back and forth, but finally
Canada capitalized on the U.S. errors and looked
confident in the tie-break set.
The U.S. led in attack points with 69 (compared
with Canada’s 66) and opposite Jake Hanes of
Team USA led all scorers with 27 points. The
U.S. also led in blocking (8-6).
Canada had eight service points compared to
seven for the U.S. and Canada made fewer errors
(28-32).
For Canada, Brodie Hofer was lead scorer and
contributed 22 points.
Canada will face Cuba in the gold-medal match on
Sunday, and the U.S. will play Chile for bronze.
A berth to the Pan Am Games, which will be held
in Santiago, Chile in 2023, is at stake at this
tournament. |
