Bad Weather Hits Sochi Paralympics; Sledge Hockey Clash

(ATR) Heavy rain, gusty winds and fog in the Sochi mountains caused havoc on the fourth day of competition at the Paralympics.

At the Rosa Khutor alpine venue, race organizers were forced to postpone the morning super-G portion of the men’s and women’s super combined events due to fog and poor visibility.

The slalom began at 2 pm, but race directors will need to find time for the super-G to officially complete the event.

Th revised plan is to run the super-G of the super combined on Friday afternoon, while moving up the women’s slalom from Friday to tomorrow’s off day at Rosa Khutor.

"Obviously, it’s something that we have no control over," said International Paralympic Committee spokesman Craig Spence regarding the uncooperative mountain weather.

Across the valley at the Laura venue, biathletes persevered along the trails skiing through thick fog as Russian Roman Petushkov won his third gold medal in the 12.5km sitting biathlon event, while leading a Russian sweep.

Ice sledge hockey at Shayba Arena in Sochi Olympic Park resumed after a day off, with four final preliminary round qualification games to determine the semifinals on Thursday.

Hockey Clash at Shayba Arena

The most anticipated event of the day features tournament host Russia (#3) facing off against arch rival U.S. (#2) in ice sledge hockey. Considering the high demand and significant interest, Sochi 2014 organizers changed the game to a ticketed event for media.

Team USA enters the showdown with a 2-0 record, having outscored its opponents 8-1 in their two victories. Russia (1-1), who sit secondto the Americans in Group B are in a must-win situation, with Italy defeating South Korea earlier Tuesday, if they want to advance to the semifinals.

Perhaps added pressure will be on the Russians considering their Olympic ice hockey counterparts failed to make the semifinals after a devastating loss to Finland at last month’s Games.

"The beginning of the game will be the hardest," Russian defenseman Vladimir Litvinenko said. "We can't make mistakes. It'll be easier to play after that."

The Russians will need to find a way to score past U.S. goaltender Steve Cash, who has been stellar between the pipes, having not allowed a goal in more than 300 consecutive minutes of Paralympic action. Evgeny Petrov is Russia’s biggest scoring threat, having contributed five points in their opening two games.

The U.S. know they will face a hostile environment at Shayba Arena. "Russia is physical, fast and strong and has the home advantage," said U.S. assistant captain Taylor Chace. "We have to play collectively and make smart decisions on defense."

The Russian national sledge hockey team is still considered to be a growing program, having reached out for support to Canada to help the sport continue to grow in the Paralympics host nation.

Team USA are seeking to defend their Paralympic gold from Vancouver 2010. To do so, they will likely have to get past Canada, who meet the Czech Republic in the evening contest at Shayba Arena.

Written by Brian Pinelli in Sochi.

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