| COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee announced this evening that the 2018-19 U.S. National Sled Hockey Team, which claimed gold at the World Para Ice Hockey Championship and added a fifth-straight title at the Para Hockey Cup, has been named Paralympic Team of the Year.The honor was accepted by team members Rico Roman (Portland, Ore.) and Brody Roybal (Northlake, Ill.) tonight in Los Angeles at a taping of the Team USA Awards show, which will air on Dec. 22 at 2 p.m. ET on NBC.In the 2018-19 season, the U.S. National Sled Team boasted a 10-1-0-1 (W-OTW-OTL-L) record, including an undefeated 4-1-0-0 (W-OTW-OTL-L) mark at the 2019 Para Ice Hockey World Championship in Ostrava, Czech Republic. Team USA came from behind to defeat Canada, 3-2, in overtime in the gold-medal game to capture its fourth gold medal in world championship history.The U.S. National Sled Team opened the 2018-19 season with a perfect 5-0-0-0 (W-OTW-OTL-L) record at the 2018 Para Hockey Cup, where Team USA earned its fifth-straight title in the event. In the tournament’s 12-year history, the U.S. has claimed a record-setting seven titles.The 17-player roster, which included 12 returnees from the the 2018 U.S. Paralympic Sled Hockey Team that claimed an unprecedented third-straight gold medal, was comprised of 10 forwards, five defensemen and two goaltenders from 11 different states.The 2019 Team USA Awards, Best of the Year, recognize the outstanding achievements of Team USA athletes, teams and coaches in eight categories: Female Olympic Athlete of the Year, Female Paralympic Athlete of the Year, Male Olympic Athlete of the Year, Male Paralympic Athlete of the Year, Olympic Team of the Year, Paralympic Team of the Year, Olympic Coach of the Year and Paralympic Coach of the Year.Notes: The 2019-20 U.S. National Sled Hockey Team will make its season debut at the 2019 Canadian Tire Para Hockey Cup Dec. 1-7 in St. John’s/Paradise Newfoundland … David Hoff (Bottineau, N.D.), who led the United States to the gold medal at the 2019 Para Ice Hockey World Championship in Ostrava, Czech Republic, in his first season as head coach, enters his second season as head coach of the U.S. National Sled Team … For more on the U.S. National Sled Hockey Team, click here. |
