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For more information about sled hockey in the Miami Valley, contact John Wonderly at johnwonderly@sbcglobal.net.
How to go/related event
What: Dayton Children’s Adapted Sports and Recreation Expo. Learn about the many opportunities to keep young people with disabilities active. Exhibitors include Wonder League Sled Hockey, Miami Valley Adapted Sports (wheelchair basketball), Therapeutic Riding Association, Miracle League of Greater Dayton (baseball), North and South Dayton TOP Soccer and Challenger Baseball.
When: 10 a.m.-1 p.m. May 2 (a Saturday)
Where: Greater Dayton Recreation Center, 2021 W. Third. St., Dayton
Admission: Free
Racing down the ice, maneuvering around defenders, sights set on the net, John Wonderly is in his element.
But replace his skates with a “sled” and Wonderly, and his teammates alike, struggled. For the second year in a row, he and several ice hockey players from the Wonder League competed in an exhibition game against the Cincinnati IceBreakers Sled Hockey team on Saturday at the Kettering Ice Arena.
“I thought I was a pretty decent athlete,” Wonderly said, smiling. About last year’s game, he said, “Let’s just say it was a very humbling experience.”
The IceBreakers made it look easy last year, winning 14-1. The Wonder League team fared better this year, dropping a 6-2 decision to the IceBreakers on Saturday.
“When we get in the sled, it really is an equalizer,” Wonderly said. “It brings to the forefront of everyone’s mind that these are very talented athletes.”
Wonderly, a longtime Special Olympics coach, wants to do more than play in exhibition matches, the Springboro resident wants to start a sled hockey team in Dayton.
“I’m all about trying to create activities for people with disabilities,” Wonderly said. “A lot of people who play this are disabled veterans, so with the VA (Dayton VA Medical Center) and Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, there is no reason why we can’t have a team here.”
But it’s not just for military veterans, the team would be open to all disabled athletes.
Sled hockey 101
Sled hockey — also known as sledge hockey — is adapted ice hockey for people with physical disabilities. It was invented in a rehabilitation center in Sweden in the early 1960s by a group of Swedes who, despite their physical disability, wanted to continue playing hockey. It follows most of the traditional ice hockey rules.
Players sit in specially designed sleds that sit on top of two hockey skate blades. There are two sticks for each player instead of one and the sticks have metal picks on the end enabling players to propel themselves. Goalies wear basically the same equipment, but modifications are made to the glove to help with maneuverability.
“When we played — no matter how good we were — we were all back to the beginner phase when we got in the sled,” Wonderly said. “It was fun, but it was tough.”
Team Sled Hockey
The IceBreakers, established in 2008, offer adaptive ice hockey or sled hockey to youth and adults who are unable to skate in a standing position due to a physical disability ranging from spina bifida and cerebral palsy to amputations and spinal cord injuries.
The Cincinnati squad is part of the five-team Ohio Sled Hockey program that includes the Cleveland Mighty Barons and Northwest Ohio Sled Hockey, the most recent addition to the league, established in 2014.
Wonderly has been working with USA Disabled Hockey as well as the Veterans Administration, The Adaptive Adventure Sports Coalition (TAASC) and Miami Valley Adaptive Sports to get the word out about the possibility of starting a local team.
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