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RETURNING PARALYMPIANS WELCOMED BACK AT LAUREL Gold Medalists Return to Sled Hockey Is One of Many Highlights at the 6th Annual Disabled Hockey Festival Written by Peter Quartuccio  LAUREL, MD—2010 has been a very special year for disabled hockey. In January, EveryBODY Skates New Jersey visited every ice rink in New Jersey in only 54 hours to promote awareness of and opportunities for disabled hockey. Their efforts were chronicled by periodicals on both coasts, including The New York Times and The L.A. Times, and virtually everywhere in between. March saw sled hockey garner probably more attention and anticipation at the Vancouver 2010 Winter Paralympics than at any other Paralympic Games, as teams played to packed houses throughout the competition. And in the Gold Medal game, the United States became the first country to boast two Gold Medal winning sled hockey squads, as the U.S. knocked off Japan and returned to America World Champions. The 6th Annual Disabled Hockey Festival, which ran from April 8-11, welcomed many of those Gold Medalists back into regional competition. Alexi Salamone, Brian Shaw, Tim Jones, Taylor Chace, Mike Blabac, Brad Emmerson, and Greg Shaw joined their local teammates once again, and were sometimes pitted against each other. It came as no surprise that the team with the most Paralympians—the Buffalo Sabres—took over the Adult Sled Hockey ‘A’ Group. Buffalo did what no other sled hockey team has been able to do in seemingly forever: beat the NEP Wildcats. The Wildcats have been used to victory lately, having dominated a March sled hockey event in Queens, New York and winning their third consecutive New England Sled Hockey Championship in February. But even with returning Paralympian Taylor Chace, they were simply overmatched by Buffalo, whose speed advantage was obvious from the get-go. They beat the Wildcats in the Final, 5-3, and finished undefeated. While much attention and adulation was given to the Gold Medalists, this event was not dedicated solely to sled hockey. Hundreds of players from the four disciplines of disabled hockey—Special Needs, Deaf/Hard of Hearing, Standing Amputee, and Sled Hockey—took part in the four-day festival. Teams from New York, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, New England participated, and even Canada got in on the action, as their team of able-bodied players took on a standing amputee U.S. team. Despite a whopping four goals by American Mike Logan, Canada won the hardly fought (and occasionally nasty) game, 7-5. Special needs hockey showcased three groups, an ‘A’ Group, a ‘B’ Team, and a ‘C’ Squad, and enjoyed a remarkably high turnout from competitors and spectators alike. Participants of the Deaf/Hard of Hearing hockey games were less numerous, but their passion and skill more than made up for it. The strong turnouts for Special Needs, Deaf, and Standing Amputee Hockey suggests that, while they may not yet be as popular as sled hockey, they are a growing community that is embraced by players and fans alike. Many of the sled hockey teams who competed here in Laurel will face-off again in Massachusetts this Friday, April 16-Sunday, April 18 for the Amelia Park Sled Hockey competition, an event that every sled hockey player in America looks forward to—with good reason. If you’re planning on visiting Connecticut or Massachusetts this weekend, don’t pass up the opportunity to watch terrific hockey and meet some amazing people. For more information about this and other adapted sports events, please visit www.WheelchairSportsFederation.org.
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