PITTSBURGH, Pa. – Menahga’s Tyler Shepersky led the HOPE Hurricanes to a runner-up finish at the 2022 Sled Hockey National Championship.
Shepersky was the leading scorer in the eight-team Disabled Hockey Festival Adult Tier II Tournament by scoring 16 goals and tallying seven assists for 23 points as the Hurricanes went undefeated in pool play and finished with a 4-1 record.
The Hurricanes opened pool play with a 10-1 win over the Colorado Avalanche III at the Robert Morris University (RMU) Island Sports Complex and a 9-3 victory over the San Diego Ducks at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) Lemieux Sports Complex on Friday, April 22. Shepersky scored four goals as the Hurricanes scored four goals in both the first and second periods in the win over the Avalanche and had six goals and two assists as the Hurricanes scored five times in the first and four times in the third in the victory over the Ducks. A four-goal second period and Shepersky’s two goals and two assists led the Hurricanes to a 5-1 win over the Space Coast Blast at the RMU on Saturday, April 23 to conclude pool play.
In the semifinals, Shepersky scored three goals and had two assists as the Hurricanes scored five times in the second period to defeat the GLASA Falcons 6-1 at the RMU on Saturday, April 23. The Hurricanes were denied the national title with a 4-3 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights at the RMU on Sunday, April 24. Shepersky had a goal and an assist in the championship game at the RMU as the Hurricanes led 3-2 after the first period before Vegas scored twice in the second period to pull off the win.
Isaac Escobedo of the Golden Knights finished second in scoring with 14 goals and six assists for 20 points.
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In the five tournament games, the Hurricanes outscored their opponents 33-10 while the Knights outscored their opponents 26-14 to finish at 5-0.
The HOPE Hurricanes are based out of Fargo, North Dakota. Sled hockey is an adaptive version of ice hockey for those with mobility challenges and has the same rules as normal hockey, but skaters are fitted with a sled and given two shortened hockey sticks to get around on the ice.
