By Matt Nemeth

Sledge hockey game three years in the making

Jan 29, 2017 | 6:39 PM

Medicine Hat, AB – It was a game three years in the making. Saturday night sledge hockey came to the Gas City in the form of the first ever game for a local club, as the Medicine Hat Hockey Hounds played host to the PSA Dogs from Edmonton at the Family Leisure Centre.

The two teams had played exhibition games in the past, but Saturday marked the first full-fledged contest between them.

“It’s an awesome feeling,” said Hounds Head Coach Derek Whitson after the game. “These are a lot of guys that have never played organized sports in their entire lives, today was their first game ever. So to see them go out and to see the smiles on their face was pretty inspiring to me, and to see the progress that they’ve had as teammates and what they’ve all become….it’s pretty incredible.”

One such player is Mike Krakalovich who joined the Hounds in September.

“It’s been really awesome, I can’t even put it into words,” says Krakalovich about being on the squad. “I’ve been a hockey fan for over 30 years and this is the first time I’ve had the opportunity to be a part of a team.”

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No quarter was given by the more experienced Edmonton team Saturday, but Medicine Hat was more than up to the task.

In what was a fierce defensive battle the Dogs ended up prevailing 1-0, though the Hounds had some great chances to tie things up late in the game but their own goalie shut the door on them.

Whitson says the Alberta sledge league has been wanting Medicine Hat to join for a few years, and Saturday’s contest was a big step in doing so.

“I think we’re getting to the point where we’re finally ready to compete,” the former national sledge hockey team member said.

The Hounds and Dogs squared off in a rematch early Sunday morning in Ralston, but revenge wasn’t in the cards as Medicine Hat lost 3-1.