Men’s Pan American Cup Hockey: Argentina swamp USA 8-0 to reach semis, hosts Canada held by Chile

Lucas Cammareri (L), Facundo Callioni (C) and Augustin Mazilli of Argentina. (Getty Images)

Argentina continued their impressive run in the Pan American Cup, crushing USA 8-0 in a lop-sided match played in the Canadian city of Brampton.

Facundo Callioni gave tenth ranked Las Leonas the lead in the fifth minute. Soon the floodgates opened as they struck at regular intervals to enjoy a 4-0 lead at half-time.

Lucas Villas added the second goal while Guillermo Schickendantz netted the third before Matias Paredes rattled the American cage in the 30^th minute.

Juan Martin Lopez continued the goal-scoring spree before Schickendantz scored his second for the day as the blue-and-white brigade towered over their hapless 27^th ranked opponents.

Matias Rey made it 7-0 before Pedro Barra hammered the final nail in the USA coffin to cap off an emphatic victory.

The Pan American Cup is of vital significance as the winner earns a berth to the 2014 World Cup to be held in The Hague, Netherlands.

Earlier, Argentina made a whirlwind beginning to their campaign pulverizing 34^th ranked Mexico 13-2. The Las Leonas rode high on Callioni’s four goals. Paredes, Villas and Guido Barreiros struck a brace for the winners. Leandro Tolini also got his name on the score sheet.

Hosts Canada, ranked 14^th in the world, were held to a 2-2 draw by 25^th ranked Chile in their second game. The home side had earlier humbled 32^nd ranked Brazil 3-1.

Mexico rebounded from their 2-13 annihilation at the hands of Argentina and piped 47^th ranked Uruguay 2-1.

Trinidad & Tobago also made it two wins out of two, swamping Chile 5-1 after they eased past Brazil 5-2 earlier.

The USA also regrouped well from their 0-8 hammering at the hands of Argentina when they inflicted the same dose of medicine on Uruguay, with a 12-0 clobbering to consign them to their second straight defeat.