Tawatinaw’s Zach Savage has been named to Hockey Canada’s National Sledge Team.
Photo courtesy Todd Korol
Zach Savage is one of the best sledge hockey players in Canada.
That fact was confirmed last week as the Tawatinaw teenager was named to Hockey Canada’s National Sledge Team in preparation for the 2016 World Sledge Hockey Challenge in Charlottetown, P.E.I., in the first week of December.
It’s an honour the 16 year old is still coming to grips with.
“It’s a great feeling. I’m still running off the buzz of making the team, like two weeks after. I’m stoked,” said Savage, who’s one of 18 named to the roster.
Team Canada bench boss Ken Babey said Savage is a great fit for his club.
“We think Zach is a good player now and has a very bright future,” said Babey. “He competes hard as a young player.”
Babey said that his organization first spotted Savage at a 2015 prospect camp in Toronto.
“He played on our development team last year,” he said. “He performed well there, so we invited him to our selection camp. He played smart, fast and that’s the kind of players we’re looking for in our team.
“He’s not shy and he has a lot of courage.”
In addition the club will play in the 4 Nations Cup in Italy next February and then head to the 2017 Sledge Hockey World Championship in PyeongChang, Korea in April.
“Every one of (the guys) to a man wants to win the World Championship,” said Babey. “There’s a lot of work to be done in reaching that goal, but I think we have the guys that want to work towards it.”
Canada is currently ranked second in the world, right behind the United States.
Sledge hockey is for players who are unable to skate normally due to disabilities.
Players use their arms to propel themselves across the ice while riding a small sled. It’s a full-contact sport, with players checking each other into the boards —though because they are riding sleds, they hit each other into the lower wooden parts of the rink.
“It’s the same (as stand-up hockey) but very different,” said Babey. “There’s a lot of physicality to the game. In sledge hockey, your shoulders and arms do all the work. It’s a high performance sport, like any other paralympic sport.”
Savage, who’s an above-bilateral amputee, has been playing sledge since he was five.
While he is still completing his high school diploma at R.F. Staples, he also helps his family out on the farm on the weekends.
“I’m ready to put all the work in that they want me to do,” said Savage. “I’ll do anything. I’m really focused on getting stronger. If you look at the roster, all those guys are 10 years older than me and much stronger than me.”
For Savage, playing for Team Canada is both an honour and a privilege.
“I just love the game of hockey in general,” said Savage. “I love being on the ice, I love the team atmosphere. I’m excited. It will be a learning experience, that’s for sure.”
That fact was confirmed last week as the Tawatinaw teenager was named to Hockey Canada’s National Sledge Team in preparation for the 2016 World Sledge Hockey Challenge in Charlottetown, P.E.I., in the first week of December.
It’s an honour the 16 year old is still coming to grips with.
“It’s a great feeling. I’m still running off the buzz of making the team, like two weeks after. I’m stoked,” said Savage, who’s one of 18 named to the roster.
Team Canada bench boss Ken Babey said Savage is a great fit for his club.
“We think Zach is a good player now and has a very bright future,” said Babey. “He competes hard as a young player.”
Babey said that his organization first spotted Savage at a 2015 prospect camp in Toronto.
“He played on our development team last year,” he said. “He performed well there, so we invited him to our selection camp. He played smart, fast and that’s the kind of players we’re looking for in our team.
“He’s not shy and he has a lot of courage.”
In addition the club will play in the 4 Nations Cup in Italy next February and then head to the 2017 Sledge Hockey World Championship in PyeongChang, Korea in April.
“Every one of (the guys) to a man wants to win the World Championship,” said Babey. “There’s a lot of work to be done in reaching that goal, but I think we have the guys that want to work towards it.”
Canada is currently ranked second in the world, right behind the United States.
Sledge hockey is for players who are unable to skate normally due to disabilities.
Players use their arms to propel themselves across the ice while riding a small sled. It’s a full-contact sport, with players checking each other into the boards —though because they are riding sleds, they hit each other into the lower wooden parts of the rink.
“It’s the same (as stand-up hockey) but very different,” said Babey. “There’s a lot of physicality to the game. In sledge hockey, your shoulders and arms do all the work. It’s a high performance sport, like any other paralympic sport.”
Savage, who’s an above-bilateral amputee, has been playing sledge since he was five.
While he is still completing his high school diploma at R.F. Staples, he also helps his family out on the farm on the weekends.
“I’m ready to put all the work in that they want me to do,” said Savage. “I’ll do anything. I’m really focused on getting stronger. If you look at the roster, all those guys are 10 years older than me and much stronger than me.”
For Savage, playing for Team Canada is both an honour and a privilege.
“I just love the game of hockey in general,” said Savage. “I love being on the ice, I love the team atmosphere. I’m excited. It will be a learning experience, that’s for sure.”
No comments:
Post a Comment