CALGARY, AB – Hockey Canada announced on Friday the 15 players who will represent Canada at the 2008 IPC Sledge Hockey World Championship, March 29th to April 5th in Marlborough, Massachusetts.
The roster includes 14 players who were members of Canada’s National Sledge Team at the 2006 Paralympic Winter Games in Turin, Italy, winning Canada’s first gold medal in sledge hockey, and 13 members of the National Sledge Team from the 2004 IPC Sledge Hockey World Championship.
“We are very excited to announce today our roster for the world championship,” said National Sledge Team head coach Jeff Snyder. “We look forward to working with the players selected to bring the gold medal back to Canada.”
Canada won the gold medal at the 2000 IPC Sledge Hockey World Championship in Salt Lake City, Utah before finishing fourth in 2004 in Örnsköldsvik, Sweden.
Canada’s National Sledge Team, which is 11-2 during the 2007-08 season, including a gold medal at the Japan Paralympic 2008 Ice Sledge Hockey International Match in January, opens the 2008 IPC Sledge Hockey World Championship on Saturday, March 29th, when it faces Italy at the New England Sports Center. It will also face Germany, Norway, the United States and Japan during round-robin play.
Hockey Canada also announced that the National Sledge Team will hold its pre-tournament camp in Charlottetown, PEI from March 22nd to 25th before departing for the world championship. The team will hold four practices – two on March 23rd and two on March 24th – at MacLauchlan Arena on the campus of the University of PEI. All practices will be open to the public.
PRE-TOURNAMENT CAMP PRACTICE SCHEDULE (times listed are Atlantic Time)
March 23rd 9:45 a.m. & 5:30 p.m. MacLauchlan Arena (Rink A) Charlottetown, PEI
March 24th 9:45 a.m. & 4:00 p.m. MacLauchlan Arena (Rink A) Charlottetown, PEI
Sledge hockey is the Paralympic version of ice hockey. It made its debut at the 1994 Paralympic Winter Games in Lillehammer, Norway. The fast-paced sport has grown in popularity since then.