Wooster Wildcats sled hockey team wins national title

The 2024 USA Sled Hockey National Championship took place April 18-21 at Ice Line Arena in West Chester, Pennsylvania. There were three youth tiers at the tournament, and the Wooster Junior Wildcats, led by head coach Brett Followay, were placed in the top tier. The team went undefeated at the tournament, ending with a 7-5 win over the Indy Steel to claim the national championship title.

The Junior Wildcats started the tournament in a battle against the Mighty Penguins Junior Black team. This game ended regulation time with a 4-4 tie until Thomas Miller won the game for the Wildcats in a shoot-out. The Wildcats went on to beat the Philadelphia Hammerheads and the Grand Rapids Sled Wings 7-0 and 5-0, respectively.

In the championship game against the Indy Steel, the Wildcats started down 1-0 after the first period but rallied with a big second period to take a 6-3 lead. The Wildcats held onto that lead during the third period to end the game as national champions with a 7-5 victory.

The leading scorer for the Junior Wildcats was Miller with 12 goals while Zayne Hammoudeh ended the tournament with seven goals, Xavier Fescemyer had four and Milena Sobie scored one.

Sled hockey follows most typical ice hockey rules and is adapted by changing some of the equipment. Players sit in specially designed sleds that sit on top of two hockey skate blades. There are two sticks for each player, and the sticks have metal picks on the end for players to propel themselves. Adaptive Sports Ohio offers sled hockey in four different counties in Ohio. These programs allow adults and youth with physical disabilities the chance to participate in recreational or competitive sled hockey with the opportunity to compete in tournaments across the country.

Adaptive Sports Ohio is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization established to remove barriers to ensure individuals with physical disabilities have a chance to play and utilize sports to elevate ability and empower futures. Founded in Wooster in 2009, Adaptive Sports Ohio is now the largest organization in Ohio offering community-based and interscholastic adaptive sport opportunities to individuals with disabilities.

Over 1,080 players across 60 teams from around the country competed at the tournament. Results and stats are available at www.usahockey.com/slednationals.