Sylvan Lake’s Matt Johnson returned from the State Wars International roller hockey tournament with a bronze medal.
Johnson was the only Sylvan Lake player on Team Alberta Inline with comprised of 10 skaters and two goalies born in 1994 or later. The team competed in the AAA division for that age group at the tournament held in St. Peters, Missouri Aug. 4-8.
The Albertans beat North Carolina in their first game 7-2, then lost to Southern California in their second game, 4-3.
They beat New York 4-1, defeated Ontario 2-1 and in the quarter final won 2-1 over Illinois.
Their sixth game was the semi-final against Manitoba which they lost 3-2 in overtime.
No bronze game was played but Alberta was higher in the standings than British Columbia so was awarded the bronze, said Johnson’s mom, Tami.
The team included four returning players from the 2011 team which captured silver when the event was hosted in Cincinnati, Ohio.
State Wars brings together the top inline hockey talent from around North America in all age divisions.
Inline hockey is played on inline roller skates with its own unique puck within the confines of a hockey rink or indoor soccer pitch. Games are played four-on-four plus goalies and there are no line violations like icings or off sides. Penalties are similar to ice hockey, but body checking is not allowed at any level even in international play. The equipment used is the same as ice hockey with the exception of skates and pants. Hockey pants are allowed, but most players prefer inline pants.