National Sled Hockey Championships Skate Into Sovereign Bank Flyers Skate Zone

Ice Hockey Links

South Jersey Sled Hockey:
National Sled Hockey Championships Skate Into Sovereign Bank Flyers Skate Zone At Voorhees On February 6 Through 8
Wednesday, February 4, 2004

By Ike Richman
Comcast Spectacor Correspondent

The National Sled Hockey Championships, featuring youth hockey players with physical disabilities on hockey sleds, comes to Sovereign Bank Flyers Skate Zone at Voorhees, NJ, from Friday, February 6 through Sunday, February 8. The three-day tournament features teams from St. Louis, MO, Boston, MA, Buffalo, NY, Pittsburgh, PA, Vineland, NJ, Woodbridge, NJ, Warminster, PA and Long Island, NY.

Sled Hockey is an exciting alternative winter sport for physically challenged individuals. Instead of skating, players sit on specially designed sleds and use two short hockey sticks equipped with picks to propel themselves across the ice. Standard rules of hockey apply. Legal body checks and raised puck shooting are as much a part of sled hockey as they are in traditional hockey. The wonderful thing about sled hockey is that anyone can play.

The 90-minute games begin on Friday, February 6 at 5:15 p.m. and continue daily until 10:30 p.m. The Championship Round begins on Sunday, February 8 at 7:45 a.m. and runs until 12:30 p.m.

"This is a very exciting time for Flyers Skate Zone as the country's best sled hockey players will converge in one of our facilities (Voorhees)," said Comcast-Spectacor Vice President of Rink Management and Development Pat Ferrill.

"We hope that we will be able to create new opportunities for hockey players with disabilities through sled hockey," said Tom Brake, USA Hockey Vice President of Disabled Hockey. "We want to help support any organization that wants to start up a similar program. This tournament is a benchmark for us to start up other teams and inspire athletes to participate."

The National Sled Hockey Championships are sponsored by USA Hockey-Atlantic District and US Sled Hockey. Admission to the Tournament is free. For more information on the Tournament and sled hockey, visit their web site at www.sledhockey.org.