March 4, 2007 - Danbury, CT:  The continuously improving Connecticut WolfPack demonstrated just how far they have come this season going toe-to-toe with the Maine Sled Hockey Pirates in a match that went right down to the wire. The relentless assault of Tim Jones and his fellow WolfPack teammates proved to be almost more than Maine could handle until Bret the Jet Goodnow scored a seeing-eye slapshot from the blue line with less than a minute remaining in the game. Jet said, “I saw it all the way. I couldn’t believe it was going to go in but it just kept finding its way between people. I don't think Karen got a good look at it in all that traffic.”

Maine took an early lead on an unassisted goal by Kip St Germaine but Connecticut Captain and goalie Karen Smith turned back several additional good Maine shots to keep the WolfPack in a tight game. Connecticut tied the score in the second period on a goal by Ryan Pelletier with an assist from Jones and from that point on the action was end-to-end. It looked like the WolfPack was going to hand Maine its third tie game of the season until Billy "the Ranger Killing Kid" Smith and Kip St Germaine teamed up to put the puck on Goodnow's stick to score the winner for the Pirates with 34 seconds remaining in the game.

Pirates net-minder Jeff Labbe had another outstanding game repelling 15 of 16 WolfPack shots; several of which were from very close range. Labbe, the PNESHL's top rated goal tender, ended the regular season giving up only 5 goals in 12 games while facing 164 shots for a save percentage of 97%. Labbe was quoted after the game saying, “I appreciate stats and what they have to offer but I owe my success to my team's core defensive strength because without it these stats would not exist.”

Maine Player/Coach Craig Gray had nothing but praise for the Connecticut team after the game. "Every time we play these guys now we have a great, hard game. We played pretty good hockey today and they gave us a heck of a game. It wasn't always that way. To have come this far so quickly is a testament to how strong the Connecticut Sled Hockey Program is. Good players with good attitudes moving up in the league standings."

The two teams are scheduled to clash again in the Prudential Northeast Sled Hockey League Lobster Pot on March 25 at the Family Ice center in Falmouth Maine where the any of  the 5 very competitive teams in PNESHL have a shot at winning the tournament that will cap off the 2006-2007 season.

Final Score: Pirates 2, WolfPack 1.

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Maine Sled Hockey Program
255 Pine Point Road, Scarborough, ME 04074
207-883-0420    207-885-5593 Fax
www.mainesledhockey.org
MaineSledHockey@maine.rr.com
Copyright © 2005, Maine Sled Hockey Program

Fast Facts: Sled hockey is one of the fastest growing disabled sports in the world with new sled hockey programs and sled hockey teams showing up everywhere. There are about 50 adult sled hockey teams and junior sled hockey teams in the USA. Sled hockey is played in several countries. Sweden claims to have originated sled hockey. The US Sled Hockey Team won the gold medal in the 2002 Paralympics. The Prudential Northeast Sled Hockey League is the first organized adult sled hockey league in the USA. Sled hockey players are extremely committed to the sport of sled hockey and regularly teach sled hockey clinics and participate in sled hockey outreach events and sled hockey exhibitions. Anyone wishing to try sled hockey should have ample opportunities to play.