Beijing 2022 Day 7 Preview: Canada takes to the ice for semifinals in Para ice hockey and wheelchair curling

 - Para snowboard returns with banked slalom event
- Women to race giant slalom in Para alpine skiing
- Mark Arendz leads Canadian contingent in Para biathlon

BEIJING, China, March 10, 2022 /CNW/ - Canada will see action in all five sports on day seven at the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games. The team sports have advanced into the semifinal stage, with Canada's wheelchair curlers and Para ice hockey players challenging for spots in their respective gold medal games. Meanwhile, Para alpine skiing continues with the women's giant slalom, Canada's Para nordic skiers will race the long-distance biathlon, and Para snowboard returns with the banked slalom. A busy schedule lays ahead for the Canadian Paralympic Team on Friday March 11:

Para Alpine Skiing
Giant slalom competition continues in Para alpine skiing with the women taking over the ski course for the day. The start gate opens at 8:30 a.m. local / 7:30 p.m. Thursday ET with the second runs commencing at 11:45 a.m. local / 10:45 p.m. Thursday ET. Canada will have four women in contention, including Beijing 2022 Paralympic champion Mollie Jepsen and double bronze medallist Alana Ramsay. They are joined by Michaela Gosselin in the women's standing with Katie Combaluzier racing in the women's sitting.

Para Ice Hockey 
Canada will face off against South Korea in the Para ice hockey semifinals. The Canadian squad defeated the Koreans 6-0 in round-robin action and will hope for a similar result as it aims to reach the gold medal game. Puck drop is 12:05 p.m. local / 11:05 p.m. Thursday ET. Four years ago, the two nations also dueled in the semifinals, with Canada coming out on top and Korea going on to win the bronze.

Para Nordic Skiing ? Biathlon
Friday will see the last Para biathlon races of the Games ? the long distance individual event.  

Mark Arendz has medalled in both of his biathlon races so far in Beijing, a gold in the 10km middle distance and bronze in the 6km sprint, and will be going for the trifecta in the men's standing classification. His race starts at 12:40 p.m. local / 11:40 p.m. Thursday ET.

The women's standing event at 12:20 p.m. local / 11:20 p.m. Thursday ET will feature Brittany Hudak and Emily Young. Hudak won a bronze in this event four years ago.

In the sitting category, Christina Picton is set for the women's race at 10 a.m. local / 9 p.m. Thursday ET while Collin Cameron and Derek Zaplotinsky will suit up in the men's starting a half hour later. Cameron, who was third in this race in PyeongChang, has two cross country bronze medals this week, but not yet in biathlon.

Para Snowboard
Canada's four Para snowboarders are back for the banked slalom event starting at 11 a.m. local / 10 p.m. Thursday ET. Tyler Turner (men's SB-LL1) and Lisa DeJong (women's SB-LL2) captured historic gold and silver medals in the snowboard cross earlier in the Games ? Canada's first-ever Paralympic medals in the sport of snowboard ? and will be looking for more positive results. They are joined by teammates Alex Massie (men's SB-LL2) and Sandrine Hamel (women's SB-LL2). The banked slalom will see riders do two runs down the course with their best time determining the final results.

Wheelchair Curling
Canada is back into the medal rounds of wheelchair curling for the fifth straight Games ? every year the sport has been played at the Paralympic Winter Games. Mark Ideson, Ina Forrest, Dennis Thiessen, Jon Thurston and Collinda Joseph will take on China in the semifinals at 2:35 p.m. local / 1:35 a.m. ET. The Canadians, who hold a 7-3 record in Beijing so far, defeated the Chinese earlier in the round-robin. It is a re-match of the 2018 semifinals, which China won en route to claiming gold.

A victory would advance Canada into Saturday's gold medal game for the first time since 2014. A loss, and the team would return to the ice later on Friday for the bronze medal match at 7:35 p.m. local / 6:35 a.m. ET. 

Paralympic champions in 2006, 2010, and 2014, four years ago Canada won bronze.

CLICK HERE for the complete Canadian Paralympic Team schedule on March 11. 

HOW TO WATCH

All Canadian competition can be live streamed as it happens. Live streams can be found on Paralympic.ca, CPC's YouTube channel, cbc.ca/beijing2022 and Radio-Canada.ca/jeux-paralympiques, the free CBC Gem streaming service, the Radio-Canada Sports app, and CBC Sports app for iOS and Android devices. Anyone wishing to catch up on the action afterwards can also watch events on-demand on these platforms, as well as Amazon Prime Video.  

March 11 Canadian TV Broadcasts:

Sportsnet One ? 10 a.m. ET / 7 a.m. PT 
CBC Daytime ? 3 p.m. local
CBC Late Night ? 12:30 a.m. local
Radio-Canada ? 1 p.m. ET 
Radio-Canada ? 11:05 p.m. ET
*please check local listings*

Click here for the complete broadcast schedule.

MEDIA RESOURCES: Resources to cover the Beijing 2022 Canadian Paralympic Team, including athlete bios, flash quotes, photos, and video highlights, are available at Paralympic.ca/beijing-2022-media. 

Follow @CDNParalympics for the most up-to-date news

About the Canadian Paralympic Team: A total of 48 athletes are competing for Canada in five sports at the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games, taking place March 4-13. 

About the Canadian Paralympic Committee: Paralympic.ca

MEDIA CONTACTS

LIST OF MEDIA CONTACTS BY SPORT
For interview requests with the athletes during the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter, please contact the specific sport media attaché.

SOURCE Canadian Paralympic Committee (Sponsorships)