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Grand Rapids Griffins

Grand Rapids Sled Wings Junior Team Wins National Championship

April 13, 2015 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Grand Rapids Griffins News Release


GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - The Grand Rapids Sled Wings junior team captured its first youth sled hockey Division A National Championship on Sunday, taking a 4-2 win over the two-time defending champion Bennett Blazers at the 11th annual USA Disabled Hockey Festival in suburban Buffalo, N.Y.

The Sled Wings, comprised of West Michigan athletes with physical disabilities who range in age from 10 to 17, are sponsored by the Griffins Youth Foundation in partnership with Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital.

Sweeping through the three-day Division A tournament, the Sled Wings compiled a 4-0 record while outscoring their opposition by a 27-8 count. With an average age of 13 in an 18-and-younger tournament, the Sled Wings were led by 12-year-old goalie Taggart VanderMolen and 16-year-old defenseman Tanner Gentry, whose 14 goals and 16 points paced all players.

Click to see a video of the Sled Wings' on-ice celebration as well as their team photo. Additional information about the 2015 USA Disabled Hockey Festival can be found here.

To honor their accomplishment, the Sled Wings will be recognized during the second period of this Friday's American Hockey League game between the Grand Rapids Griffins and Charlotte Checkers at Van Andel Arena. Game time is 7 p.m.

The Sled Wings, who made their third consecutive appearance in the Division A title game, also won the Division B national championship in 2012. They became the first junior-level sled hockey team in Michigan upon their founding in 2001, and they have gained a national reputation by winning numerous prestigious tournaments and developing high-caliber players for various U.S. National Teams.

Grand Rapids Sled Wings - 2015 National Champions

# Player Pos. Age Michigan Hometown

4 Braxton Kalkman F 11 Holland

6 Shaun Doss F 11 Hudsonville

8 Scott Stever F 16 Grand Rapids

9 Taggart VanderMolen G 12 Fruitport

12 Joshua Stapel F 13 Grand Rapids

15 Jake Nelson D 12 Holland

20 Christian Teachworth F 13 Lowell

27 William Oberg F 11 Sparta

29 Jarrett Reynolds-Meyers F 11 Stanton

32 Philipe Hernandez F 10 Muskegon

33 Caleb Janssen D 17 Mattawan

36 Tanner Gentry D 16 Muskegon

57 CJ Blackwell F 14 Kentwood

Head Coach: Steve Kozlowski

Assistant Coach: Tyler Anderson

Sled hockey rules are virtually identical to traditional hockey, except participants sit on bladed sleds. Players use shortened hockey sticks with a blade on one end and a pick (similar to a toe-pick on a figure skate) on the other end, which enables them to propel themselves across the ice. As in traditional hockey, checking, penalties and hard slap shots are all abundant in sled hockey. Sled hockey made its Paralympics debut in 1994. It originated in Sweden in 1940 and was introduced in the United States in 1989, with the first team based in Minnesota.

Established in 1995, the Griffins Youth Foundation promotes academic excellence, community involvement and healthy lifestyles among the youth of West Michigan, enhancing their lives through hockey and ice-related sports. The foundation's programs currently include hockey for first through 12th graders and a girls-only division, as well as the Grand Rapids Sled Wings sled hockey team. For more information, visit griffinskids.org.

Mary Free Bed is a not-for-profit, nationally accredited, rehabilitation hospital. For 124 years, Mary Free Bed has restored hope and freedom through rehabilitation for children and adults who have experienced brain injuries, strokes, spinal cord injuries, multiple traumas, amputations, cancer and other diagnoses. The combination of comprehensive services and an exclusive focus on rehabilitation enables specialty physicians and staff to help patients achieve outstanding clinical results. For additional information, visit maryfreebed.com.

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