Sylvan Lake’s Matthew Johnson has been named to the Team Alberta Inline roster to represent the province at the State Wars international roller hockey tournament in St. Louis, Missouri Aug. 4-8.
Johnson is the only player from Sylvan Lake to be chosen for the team. Four players from Red Deer make up the Central Alberta contingent. Other players are from Ardrossan, Sherwood Park and Edmonton.
Team Alberta Inline is comprised of 10 skaters and two goalies born in 1994 or later. The team will compete in the AAA division for that age group at the tournament.
Players attended an identification camp from June 1-3 in Red Deer before getting selected to the team. In addition to the players, the team staff will consist of two coaches, one trainer and a director of operations.
The team includes four returning players — Terry Martin (Ardrossan), Aric Schinke (Sherwood Park), Jarret Evans (Sherwood Park) and Christopher Rauckman (Red Deer) — from last year’s team where they were able to capture the silver medal 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.