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Final Roster Named for U.S. Paralympic Sled Hockey Team

By USAHockey.com, 12/11/13, 1:13PM MST

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COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - USA Hockey announced today the 17-player roster for the U.S. Paralympic Sled Hockey Team. The team features 11 forwards, four defensemen and two goaltenders.

The 2014 Paralympic Winter Games will take place March 7-16 in Sochi, Russia. All sled hockey games will be played at Shayba Arena. A complete game schedule, as well as television coverage, will be announced in the coming weeks.

"We're very happy with the roster we have put together," said Dan Brennan, general manager of the U.S. Paralympic Sled Hockey Team. "Going back to tryouts in the summer, I can't say enough about the depth of the talent we have available to us. It's a tremendous luxury to have, yet it made the final player selection very difficult."

"I am excited about this skilled group of players that we'll be taking to Sochi," said Jeff Sauer, head coach of the U.S. Paralympic Sled Hockey Team, who is in his third season leading the U.S. National Sled Hockey Team. "I like the chemistry that is building among them. We have some players with extensive Paralympic experience, in addition to younger players who can't wait to step up to the highest level of competition in our sport."

Eight players return from the 2010 U.S. squad that captured the gold medal at the 2010 Paralympic Games in Vancouver, B.C. The list includes goaltender Steve Cash (Overland, Mo.), who was named the top goaltender of the 2010 Paralympic Games after not allowing a single goal in five games, and defenseman Taylor Chace (Hampton Falls, N.H.), who was named the best defenseman in Vancouver. Additional Paralympic veterans include defensemen Nikko Landeros (Johnstown, Colo.), Josh Pauls (Green Brook, N.J.) and Andy Yohe (Bettendorf, Iowa); and forwards Taylor Lipsett (Plano, Texas), Adam Page (Lancaster, N.Y.) and Greg Shaw (Merritt Island, Fla.). Cash, Chace, Lipsett and Yohe also earned bronze medals at the 2006 Paralympic Games in Torino, Italy.

Fifteen players on the Paralympic roster were members of the 2012-13 U.S. National Sled Hockey Team that garnered the silver medal at the 2013 International Paralympic Committee Sled Hockey World Championship. That list includes Tyler Carron (Fort Collins. Colo.), Declan Farmer (Tampa, Fla.), Jen Lee (San Francisco, Calif.), Dan McCoy (Cheswick, Pa.), Kevin McKee (Davenport, Iowa), Rico Roman (Portland, Ore.), Paul Schaus (Buffalo, N.Y.) and Josh Sweeney (Phoenix, Ariz.), in addition to Cash, Chace, Landeros, Lipsett, Page, Pauls and Shaw.

NOTES: The U.S. roster is subject to approval of the United States Olympic Committee ... Team USA's captain is Andy Yohe, while its alternate captains are Taylor Chace and Josh Sweeney ... The youngest player on the roster is Brody Roybal (Northlake, Ill.), who turned 15-years old in May and is making his debut on a U.S. National Team. Declan Farmer turned 16 years old in November ... The oldest player on the squad is Andy Yohe at 35-years old ... Four members of the team have served in the U.S. military. Jen Lee is active duty in the U.S. Army. Rico Roman is a U.S. Army veteran, while Paul Schaus and Josh Sweeney served in the U.S. Marine Corps ... Team USA will host a three-game series vs. Canada Jan. 9-11 in Indian Trail, N.C., as its final game preparation for the Paralympic Games ... Dan Brennan, director of sled and inline national teams for USA Hockey, is serving as the general manager of the 2014 U.S. Paralympic Sled Hockey Team ... Guy Gosselin (Grafton, Wis.), American Development Model regional manager for USA Hockey, is in his third season as an assistant coach for the U.S. National Sled Hockey Team ... Additional staff members include team physician Mike Uihlein (Grafton, Wis.), athletic trainer Mike Cortese (Boynton Beach, Fla.) and equipment manager Joel Isaacson (Houghton, Mich.).