U.S. National Sled Hockey Team Earns Olympic Committee Honors

Author: USA Hockey
Published: 2010/01/24 - Updated: 2017/12/24
Category Topic: 2010 Vancouver Paralympics - Academic Publications

Page Content: Synopsis - Introduction - Main

Synopsis: U.S. National Sled Hockey Team and its goalie Steve Cash honored with 2009 United States Olympic Committee Awards.

Introduction

U.S. National Sled Hockey Team, Goalie Steve Cash Earn United States Olympic Committee Honors - Team USA Named USOC Paralympic Team of the Year;Cash Named USOC Paralympic SportsMan of the Year.

Main Content

The U.S. National Sled Hockey Team and its goalie, Steve Cash (Overland, Mo.), were both honored today with 2009 United States Olympic Committee Awards. After capturing the United States' first-ever International Paralympic Committee Ice Sledge Hockey World Championship last May, Team USA was named the USOC Paralympic Team of the Year, while Cash was named the USOC Paralympic SportsMan of the Year.

"What a terrific honor for these young men," said Ray Maluta, head coach of the U.S. National Sled Hockey Team and U.S. Paralympic Sled Hockey Team. "This award goes not only to our players, but also the entire staff and USA Hockey, who put so much time and effort into helping this program grow over the last two years."

"I'm extremely honored and humbled," said Cash. "I'm also happy that our entire team was recognized. Without the support of my teammates, I could never have achieved the individual success I enjoyed last year. Hopefully we can carry that success into the Paralympics in March."

Last May, the 2008-09 U.S. National Sled Hockey Team captured the IPC Ice Sledge Hockey World Championship in Ostrava, Czech Republic, defeating Canada in the semifinals and Norway in the gold-medal game for the United States' first-ever title.

Cash posted a 0.77 goals-against average and.940 save percentage in five games at the tournament.

Overall, the 2008-09 U.S. National Sled Hockey Team finished with a 9-3-1-5 (W-OTW-OTL-L) record, with Cash starting every game between the pipes for Team USA.

The 2009-10 U.S. National Sled Hockey Team achieved continued success last November, capturing first place at the 2009 World Sledge Hockey Challenge in Charlottetown, P.E.I.

The 2010 U.S. Paralympic Sled Hockey Team, consisting of 15 of the 18 members of the 2009-10 U.S. National Sled Hockey Team, was named in December.

Team USA will participate in the Paralympic Winter Games in Vancouver, B.C., March 13-20.

The U.S. National Sled Hockey Team is the first-ever recipient of the USOC Paralympic Team of the Year award, while the USOC Paralympian of the Year award was first handed out in 2004.

NOTES: The U.S. Paralympic Sled Hockey Team is currently competing at the Japan Para Ice Sledge Hockey Championships in Nagano City, Japan. Full coverage of the U.S. Paralympic Sled Hockey Team, including a team roster, photos, features, and stats are available at usahockey.com. Other 2009 USOC Award recipients included alpine skier Lindsey Vonn (Sports-Woman of the Year), nordic skier Todd Lodwick (SportsMan of the Year), Steven Holcomb's four-man bobsled team (Team of the Year) and mono-skier Stephani Victor (Paralympic Sports-Woman of the Year).