Sledge hockey not so easy
Kawartha Blazers show a thing or two to the OHL Eastern Conference-leading Peterborough Petes
The Peterborough Petes traded in their usual equipment for a different type of hockey gear Monday night.
The Petes took on the Kawartha Blazers at the Evinrude Centre, dressing the part for the sledge hockey game.
Sitting on narrow sleds with skate blades on the bottom, the Petes and the Blazers buzzed around the ice, propelling themselves using two special sticks spiked with picks on the ends.
The annual game is a fundraiser for the local sledge hockey team. Money from this year’s event is going towards new jerseys and sleds.
It was Petes captain Brandon Prophet and centre Steven Lorentz’s second time on sleds Monday night after playing in last year’s game.
Looking back, they both agreed it was a lot harder than they ever thought it would be.
“It really lets you appreciate the skill level of the other team and the different aspect that it brings to the game,” Prophet said.
Although Lorentz knew what to expect this year, that didn’t make the game any easier.
“It’s still challenging ... it was a lot of fun though,” Lorentz said. The Petes beat the Blazers 2-1. But when it came down to talent and skill, the Blazers came out on top.
The junior development team skated the ice with ease, while the Petes were much less graceful, often slamming into the boards or toppling over during a turn.
Blazers team manager Anita Flynn said the games against the Petes are a great way to show the diversity of sledge hockey and hockey combined.
It’s also a chance for her team to shine.
“It’s fun for these guys to show off,” Flynn said.
Johnny Greenwood, 19, has played with the Blazers for seven years.
It’s unreal being on the ice with the Petes, he said.
“Just to see how they do on the ice while sitting down and they know how we feel,” Greenwood said.
Teammate Rebecca Jordan, 12, has been a Blazer for four years.
Seeing the Petes on the ice for sledge hockey offers a different perspective of players typically seen skating so perfectly on the ice, she said.
“Usually you dream to be them, but out here, they’re probably dreaming to be us,” Jordan said.