The Rampage Sled Hockey Team will host their first Midwest Sled Hockey Tournament that will run starting this Friday through Sunday. The tournament will feature teams from Minnesota, Chicago and St. Louis and will be held at the AT&T Center and the Ice and Golf Center at Northwoods. Admission is FREE for all sled hockey tournament events.

 

The tournament kicks off this Friday at 7 p.m. with a matchup between the San Antonio Rampage Sled Hockey Team and the DASA St. Louis Blues Sled Hockey Team at the Ice and Golf Center at Northwoods.

 

The AT&T Center will also host two of the tournament games prior to the Rampage game this Saturday, Jan. 9.

 

Below is a list of times and dates for the tournament:

 

 

 

 

The Rampage Sled Hockey Team is the only sled hockey team in the United States that consists of all wounded military service members. The team is ran by Operation Comfort, a non profit organization that works with wounded service members coming in from Iraq and Afghanistan recovering at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas.  The team is led by Lonnie Hannah, a two-time Paralympian and was named USA Hockey’s Disabled Athlete of the Year this past summer. Hannah helped the United States capture the gold medal in Salt Lake City in 2002 and a bronze medal in 2006 in Turino. He most recently helped Team USA to its first-ever gold medal at the 2009 International Paralympic Committee Ice Sledge Hockey World Championship. The Rampage Sled Hockey Team held it’s first ever practice on January 19, 2007. Operation Comfort presented the team with sleds donated from their organization and the San Antonio Rampage of the American Hockey League (AHL) team outfitted the sled hockey team with equipment and jerseys. The Rampage (AHL) continues to host various fundraising events, including their annual Military Appreciation Night, to raise money to support the Rampage Sled Hockey Team. The sled hockey team started with seven players on the team and has quickly gained popularity in which the team now consists of 27 players.  The team began playing in tournaments in 2008 and have since traveled to Illinois, Utah, New York, Massachusetts, Missouri and Texas. For more information please visit www.operationcomfort.org

 

 

Below is information about the teams participating in the tournament. Information was provided by USA Hockey – Midwest Sled Hockey league

 

RIC Blackhawks - The Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago (RIC) Blackhawks Sled Hockey Program was formed in 1999, and is supported by the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago Virginia Wadsworth Sports Program through a generous grant from the Chicago Blackhawks Charities. Since 1981, the RIC Wirtz Sports Program has offered year-round sports and recreation opportunities for youth and adults with physical disabilities in the Chicago area. The RIC Blackhawks season begins in September and runs through July with practices held every Wednesday at the Chicago Park District's McFetridge Sports Complex. The team is coached by 2002 Paralympic Gold Medalist and Illinois Hockey Hall of Fame inductee Patrick Byrne. The RIC Blackhawks are a member team of USA Hockey and participates in competitions held throughout the United States. For more information about the RIC Blackhawks and other RIC Sports and Fitness programs visit online at www.ricsports.org, or by calling 312-238-5001

 

Minnesota Northern - The Minnesota Northern began play in the 2006/07 season. They are part of the Minnesota Sled Hockey Association and the Minnesota Disabled Hockey chapter within USA Hockey. The Northern are proud winners of the 2009 Disabled Hockey Festival Division B National Title. For more information on the Northern and Minnesota Sled Hockey please visit www.mnsledhockey.org

 

DASA St. Louis Blues - DASA St.Louis Blues sled hockey has only been around for 7 season, but the program has came along way in that short time. DASA's founder Kelly Behlman and good friend Mike Dowling started the program after the 2002 paralympic games where USA sled hockey won a gold medal and the sled hockey sport really took off nation wide. What started as a junior recreational program has blossomed into a junior and adult competitive hockey program. In the years since the program has begun DASA has sent four of its hockey players on to the junior national and adult national teams. DASA's team is one of the four teams currently in the Midwest Sled Hockey League and are looking to bring home a league championship this season. For more information on DASA programs and the sled teams please visit www.dasasports.org/