The United States Olympic Committee announced today that the U.S. National Sled Hockey team has been named a Best of December finalist for the Team USA Awards, which recognize the outstanding achievements of Team USA athletes from last month. Fans are invited to vote for their favorite athletes and teams at TeamUSA.org/Awards through midnight Tuesday, Jan. 8.
Last month, the U.S. National Sled Hockey Team claimed an unprecedented fifth-straight Para Hockey Cup title at this year’s tournament in London, Ontario. The week-long event, previously referred to as the World Sled Hockey Challenge, was held at the Western Fair Sports Centre.
Entering the tournament as four-time defending champions, the U.S. skated to a perfect 5-0-0-0 (W-OTW-OTL-L) record that included three victories over Canada (3-0, 4-1, 5-4) and two wins against South Korea (9-0, 8-0). The championship game was a thrilling back-and-forth affair that saw the U.S. come back from two deficits to win, 5-4, for its fifth-consecutive title and seventh in the event's 12 year history.
Leading the U.S. on the scoresheet were forwards Declan Farmer (Tampa, Fla.) and Brody Roybal (Northlake, Ill.). Farmer paced all skaters with 12 points and eight goals while Roybal finished second overall with 10 points and a tournament-best seven assists. Jack Wallace (Franklin Lakes, N.J.) scored twice in the championship game to earn U.S. player of the game honors.