{"id":539404,"date":"2026-03-16T04:35:14","date_gmt":"2026-03-16T04:35:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/539404\/"},"modified":"2026-03-16T04:35:14","modified_gmt":"2026-03-16T04:35:14","slug":"sierra-smith-nets-third-alpine-medal-amid-blizzard-usa-tops-canada-for-hockey-gold-ottawasportspages-ca","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/539404\/","title":{"rendered":"Sierra Smith nets third alpine medal amid blizzard, USA tops Canada for hockey gold \u2013 OttawaSportsPages.ca"},"content":{"rendered":"

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This coverage was first sent as an email newsletter to our subscribers. Sign up to receive it, for free, on our Ottawa at the Paralympics page<\/a>.<\/p>\n

By Keiran Gorsky, Dan Plouffe & Martin Cleary<\/p>\n

A snow-sprayed final day of competition brought delight and disappointment for Ottawa Paralympians. Kalle Eriksson and guide Sierra Smith skied to bronze in the visually impaired slalom in Cortina d\u2019Ampezzo, while Canada\u2019s para hockey team fell 6\u20132 to the United States in the gold medal game.<\/p>\n

Skier Julie Klotz\u2019s career followed a remarkably similar trajectory to her daughter, Smith. A national champion and Olympic hopeful for the 1988 Winter Games in Calgary, Klotz\u2019s dreams were dashed when she was forced to undergo surgery for a back injury the year before.<\/p>\n

Much like Smith, Klotz wound up sliding down Olympic slopes in a capacity she never anticipated. As a forerunner, she inspected the hill before the competition began, ensuring the course was safe and suitable for racing. Klotz might not have gotten to compete, but she still holds the memory close to her heart.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe crowds were amazing and so supportive,\u201d she recalled in a 2018 CBC feature<\/a>. \u201cThey didn\u2019t seem to differentiate that I was only forerunning.\u201d<\/p>\n

Klotz and Smith woke up to a foot-and-a-half of snow at their hotel in Val Gardena this morning. That made for a zigzagging hour-long drive through the Dolomites to catch the slalom race in Cortina d\u2019Ampezzo, where volunteers had to clear off the snow-covered stands.<\/p>\n

\"\"Sierra Smith (left) and Kalle Eriksson celebrate their podium finish in the men\u2019s visual impairment slalom on March 15. Photo: \/ The Canadian Press \/ CPC<\/p>\n

The fog grew so thick, they couldn\u2019t see Smith and Eriksson on their final run until they had crossed the finish line. The speakers muted, the crowd hushed, all they could hear were their voices carrying through the snow. Klotz, coaches and technicians descended on the base of the hill to celebrate afterwards.<\/p>\n

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\u201cNothing like giving us the hardest day on the last day,\u201d Klotz laughed during a call with the Ottawa Sports Pages\u2019 Kieran Gorsky.<\/p>\n

As for their parallel careers, Klotz all but chalks it up as a coincidence. Klotz was there to support her daughter after that sad string of injuries, but it was Smith who charted her own path at every turn. If her knee had stayed intact \u2013 if none of it ever happened \u2013 she never would have met her future partner on and off the hill.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe fact that I got a second chance at ski racing and to really be on the World Cup stage alongside Kalle has made ski racing that much better and I have loved every single minute of it,\u201d Sierra told Alpine Canada after the race<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Today was actually the first time Klotz and husband Trevor Smith ever met Kalle\u2019s father and coach Lasse Eriksson in person. The two families had exchanged pictures and text messages before they finally came together for the super combined event on Tuesday, where Klotz met Kalle\u2019s mother Andrea.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere were just a lot of hugs, as if we\u2019d known each other forever,\u201d Klotz said. \u201cToday, there were tears when we said goodbye. We did say, you know, this is the best introduction we could have ever had, meeting them over medals.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Kalle Eriksson (left) and Sierra Smith won the bronze medal in the men\u2019s visual impairment slalom on March 15. Photo: Dave Holland \/ Alpine Canada \/ CPC <\/p>\n

In the race today, Eriksson and Smith were the second pair out of the gate. The two stayed close together down the slope, Smith being careful not to brush the poles too roughly so as not to strike her partner in the face. They finished in third with a time of 46.45.<\/p>\n

The snowfall turned into more of a squall by their second run in the afternoon, where the two could hardly be seen on camera. Counterintuitively, every competitor who managed to cross the finish line on their first runs proceeded to improve their time on the second. Eriksson and Smith combined for a total time of 1:31.26 to secure bronze \u2013 their third medal at these Paralympics.<\/p>\n

WATCH CBC SPORTS | Canadian skier Kalle Eriksson and guide Sierra Smith win 3rd medal of Milano-Cortina Paralympics<\/p>\n

\u201cI think we brought a great mentality today, just to go out there and have fun and really enjoy the last day of races,\u201d Eriksson said.<\/p>\n

Canada has chances but USA takes control in 3rd period of para ice hockey final<\/p>\n

It was a valiant effort, but the Canadian para ice hockey team fell 6-2 to the United States in the gold medal game. American defenceman Jack Wallace tormented Canada\u2019s back end all game long, tallying four goals on the evening. SHEO alumni Anton Jacobs-Webb and Rob Armstrong both logged significant minutes, while Tyrone Henry was one of three Canadian players who didn\u2019t see the ice.<\/p>\n

Jacobs-Webb registered the first shot of the game, stickhandling around America\u2019s star forward Declan Farmer and firing one into the glove of goaltender Griffin LaMarre.<\/p>\n

\"\"Gatineau\u2019s Anton Jacobs-Webb fires a shot on USA in the para ice hockey championship game at the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games. Photo: Matteo Cogliati \/ The Canadian Press \/ CPC<\/p>\n

Jacobs-Webb took his first penalty of the competition later in the first period for grabbing onto forward Brett Bolton during a mad scramble in front of the Canadian net. Wallace scored his first on the resulting power play.<\/p>\n

Liam Hickey tied the game at one early in the second period, though it didn\u2019t last long. Canada\u2019s Zach Lavin coughed up the puck in front of the net and Armstrong was unable to catch the USA\u2019s Kayden Beasley before he slipped it in. Wallace then beat a pinching Armstrong to a loose puck and made it 3-1 off a breakaway.<\/p>\n

Armstrong and his defensive corps struggled all evening to feed passes through a speedy American forecheck.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re heartbroken right now, and it\u2019s hard to really think of what just happened,\u201d captain Tyler McGregor told The Canadian Press<\/a>. \u201cI just want to go spend time with them, enjoy every minute we can together and move forward.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Canada vs USA para ice hockey final on March 15 in Milano, Italy. Photo: Matteo Cogliati \/ The Canadian Press \/ CPC<\/p>\n

Wallace got his hat trick early in the third period, though Hickey stole one back with a powerful wrist shot from the edge of the face-off circle.<\/p>\n

Canada had a golden opportunity to get back into the game on a late power play, but Wallace quickly quashed all hopes for a miracle when he poked home a short-handed goal. Jacobs-Webb won the following face-off, but Dominic Cozzolino dropped his stick, allowing Brody Roybal to tuck it into an empty net and complete the rout.<\/p>\n

Canada coach Boris Rybalka opted to remain optimistic despite the result.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re excited about the future, our next gen and the development and the players coming up. Management has done an outstanding job starting to set things up already for this year and for the next four years,\u201d Rybalka said. \u201cCanada will be at the top of the mountain, and we\u2019re looking forward to it for the next four years.\u201d<\/p>\n

Over in Tesero, Emma Archibald did not compete in today\u2019s 20 km Interval Start after coming down with the flu. That was something she expressed fear about before the competition. The 22-year-old cross-country skier had narrowly avoided getting sick before departing for Europe when her coach came down with a cold.<\/p>\n

\u201cI took vitamin C almost every day before leaving,\u201d she told the Ottawa Sports Pages\u2019 Keiran Gorsky before the Paralympics<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Sunday was the final day of the Paralympics, but we\u2019ll be back once more with some final thoughts on the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Games.<\/p>\n

\n\tRelated<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"This coverage was first sent as an email newsletter to our subscribers. Sign up to receive it, for…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":539405,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[194295],"tags":[49,48,20739],"class_list":["post-539404","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-ottawa","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-ottawa"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/539404","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=539404"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/539404\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/539405"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=539404"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=539404"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=539404"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}