The United States once again proved that it has the best Paralympic sled hockey team in the world. They beat their rival, Canada, by a score of 6-2 in the championship and took home gold for the fifth consecutive Paralympic Games.
Defenseman Jack Wallace led the charge with a phenomenal hat trick and an assist. Tournament MVP Declan Farmer added a crucial shorthanded goal, while Illinois native Brody Roybal sealed the deal with a final empty-netter. In the net, Griffin LaMarre made 13 saves in just his third-ever Paralympic start to hold off a relentless Canadian offense.
“I really liked our compete level tonight, this team was so determined,” said Team USA Head Coach David Hoff, who hails from Bottineau, North Dakota. “We set a very good pace tonight and played that way for three periods to accomplish our ultimate goal.”
Medal counts for the top ten countries
| Country | Gold | Silver | Bronze | TOTAL |
| China | 15 | 13 | 16 | 44 |
| United States | 13 | 5 | 6 | 24 |
| Ukraine | 3 | 8 | 8 | 19 |
| Germany | 2 | 6 | 9 | 17 |
| Italy | 7 | 7 | 2 | 16 |
| Canada | 3 | 4 | 8 | 15 |
| Austria | 7 | 2 | 4 | 13 |
| Russia | 8 | 1 | 3 | 12 |
| France | 4 | 4 | 4 | 12 |
| Norway | 2 | 4 | 2 | 8 |
The victory not only extended Team USA’s dominance in adaptive sports but also made the U.S. the first country in history to sweep the men’s, women’s, and Paralympic ice hockey tournaments at a single Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. Making the feat even sweeter, the sled hockey team won on the exact same ice in Milan where both the U.S. Olympic Men’s and Women’s teams defeated Canada just weeks prior. It’s a testament to the strong grassroots adaptive sports programs across the upper Midwest and beyond that continue to build this national dynasty.
More than hockey
In total, 68 athletes from the United States competed in the Paralympic Games. The group included 48 men and 20 women. Of those competing, 44 were veterans of the Paralympic Games and 24 were experiencing it for the first time. The team raked in the second-most medals of any team in the world, right behind China.
Behind those numbers were some truly historic individual performances. Oksana Masters dominated Para Nordic skiing, taking home five medals—including four golds—to cement her legacy as the most decorated U.S. Winter Paralympian in history. Jake Adicoff had a perfect Games, racing to four gold medals in visually impaired cross-country skiing alongside his guides. On the slopes, breakout star Kate Delson and veteran Brenna Huckaby helped Team USA rack up the hardware in snowboarding.
Minnesota’s 11 Paralympians: Milano Cortina 2026
Minnesota sent 11 athletes to the 2026 Winter Paralympics—the nation’s largest state delegation. Here is how our friends and neighbors proudly represented us to the world.
The Medalists
| Athlete | Sport | The Story | Results |
| Sydney Peterson – Lake Elmo | Cross-Country / Biathlon | A St. Lawrence University skier who developed dystonia; now a neuroscience Ph.D. student. | 3 Gold medals – 10km Classic – 20km Free – Mixed Relay Silver medal – Sprint Classic |
| Liam Cunningham – Mendota Heights | Para Ice Hockey | The team’s youngest player (18) began sled hockey at age seven. | Gold medal – following a 6-2 victory over Canada |
| Landon Uthke – Albert Lea | Para Ice Hockey | A late roster addition who joined the team in January; lifelong friend of Liam Cunningham. | Gold medal – with Team USA |
| Mike Schultz – St. Cloud | Snowboarding | Known as “Monster Mike,” he founded BioDapt and engineers the prosthetics used by most of his competitors. He is now retiring to focus on engineering. | Bronze medal – Banked Slalom; 6th place – Snowboard Cross. |
The Competitors
| Athlete | Sport | The Story | Results |
| Oyuna Uranchimeg – Burnsville | Wheelchair Curling | Paralyzed in a 2000 car accident, she began curling at 43. | Led the U.S. to a 9-1 opening victory over Italy. |
| Meg Gustafson – Edina | Para Alpine Skiing | A 16-year-old with tunnel vision who follows her brother/ guide, Spenser Gustafson, via Bluetooth. | 6th place in Downhill (Visually Impaired) |
| Max Nelson – Grant | Cross-Country/ Biathlon | Returned to elite form for his second Games less than a year after emergency brain surgery. Guided by Gus Schatzlein. | Competed in Visually Impaired Sprint Classic. |
| Aaron Pike – Park Rapids | Cross-Country/ Biathlon | An eight-time Summer and Winter Paralympian engaged to paralympic legend Oksana Masters. | Competed in multiple Sitting classification events. |
| Blake Eaton – Duluth | Para Alpine Skiing | A former six-time state wheelchair track champion born with spina bifida. | 20th in Men’s Sitting Downhill. |
