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.
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