SEATTLE — “It’s the excitement of just being on ice with two blades. When I’m shooting, my heart rate goes up, and just the excitement of shooting, whether I hit it or not.”
That’s how RJ Urtula, Forward/Defenseman for the Seattle Sled Ice Hockey team, describes the thrill of the sport.
Sled Hockey is gradually changing its name to Para Ice Hockey, as it is called in the Paralympics. Para Ice Hockey is designed for athletes with physical impairments in the lower body.
Players compete while seated on specially designed sled hockey sleds, using two sled hockey sticks to maneuver and strike the puck.
“Imagine like regular stand-up hockey, except for you’re sitting down. And it’s the same rules, the same ice rink,” Urtula shared.
In 2024, the team won Tier 2 at the 2024 Hendrickson Festival in Blaine, MN.
Players thrive on the hard-hitting and fast play.
“I have a fairly painful condition but when I’m on the ice, I don’t feel any pain. I am focused on the game. I’m enjoying the camaraderie of the people around me and just take it from there,” Brian Baker, Forward, said.
“I have something called complex regional pain syndrome, which makes it really, really difficult to walk and stand and weight bear, so it’s really when I get in the sled I’m not weight bearing on my legs, so the pain is really not there so much until I get out,” John Liston, Goalie said. “When I get out, it’s back to normal, but when you’re in the sled, it’s like I can be free. I can be that athlete again that I was when I was younger, and it’s just an amazing feeling.”
For Defenseman Leah Cupps, playing on the team continues her military ethos.
“I am a former Marine, and one of the things about the Marine Corps that is the greatest thing ever is the sense of community and esprit de corps that we have, that beautiful companionship that we build with our fellow teammates,” she said. “When I got out of the military, and I got injured, I was searching for something to fill that void, and I was directed to sled hockey, and it absolutely is exactly what I needed”.
In fact, military veterans have an afinity Kraken ice hockey. There are currently eight veterans on the squad, representing US Marines, Navy, and Air Force.
With the Paralympics just starting in Italy, the team will be cheering for former teammate Nicole Zaino (from 2019 to 2023), who will compete not in ice hockey, but Para Nordic Skiing.
The Kraken’s practices are open to the public at the Kraken Community Iceplex. Their regular season extends through April, leading to the Nationals in Dallas, April 30 to May 3.
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