S.C. Megale is an adventurer, humanitarian, hockey lover, and author who lives outside Washington, DC, and was first traditionally published at the age of twenty-three. A prolific writer, Megale has been profiled by the Washington Post, USA Today, and the Today Show, among others. Megale’s genetic and permanent muscular dystrophy lends a unique perspective to Hockey’s Hidden Gods few other authors can match. For more information, please visit www.scmegale.com.

• ForewordPrefaceIntroductionKey for Player StatsChapter 1: Lake of Legend: Sled Hockey’s History, Rules, and EquipmentChapter 2: Manny Guerra, Jr.Chapter 3: NaganoChapter 4: Joe HowardChapter 5: Gathering the TeamChapter 6: Sly FlisChapter 7: Training ChampionsChapter 8: Patrick ByrneChapter 9: Arriving in Salt Lake CityChapter 10: Dave ConklinChapter 11: Game One: USA vs. JapanChapter 12: Chris MannsChapter 13: Game Two: USA vs. CanadaChapter 14: Josh WirtChapter 15: Game Three: USA vs. NorwayChapter 16: Brian RuheChapter 17: Kip St. GermaineChapter 18: Game Four: USA vs. SwedenChapter 19: Dan HendersonChapter 20: Game Five: USA vs. EstoniaChapter 21: James DunhamChapter 22: Pat SappChapter 23: The Storm Before the StormChapter 24: Gold Medal Game: USA vs. NorwayChapter 25: Lonnie HannahChapter 26: Matt Coppens and Jack SandersChapter 27: AftermathConclusionAcknowledgmentsAbout the Author

Twenty years ago, it was generally accepted that the U.S. Paralympic sled hockey team was just awful. Winning a medal was not just unlikely but downright inconceivable. That changed in 2002, when Rick Middleton, a former NHL player, signed on to coach the team and led it to winning the gold medal. The subtitle’s use of the phrase “miracle on ice” references the 1980 gold-medal Olympic hockey game between Russia and the U.S. (in which a mostly amateur U.S. team defeated the powerhouse Soviets). Applying that phrase to the paralympic sled-hockey team's triumph in 2002 is entirely apt; this story, like that one, is a classic triumph-over-adversity saga. It wasn’t the players' physical limitations that kept them from succeeding; it was their lack of training and cohesion as a team. This well-told account of how they overcame those obstacles is a sports story that transcends athletics. Inspirational can be an overused adjective, but not this time.

S.C. Megale is an adventurer, humanitarian, hockey lover, and author who lives outside Washington, DC, and was first traditionally published at the age of twenty-three. A prolific writer, Megale has been profiled by the Washington Post, USA Today, and the Today Show, among others. Megale’s genetic and permanent muscular dystrophy lends a unique perspective to Hockey’s Hidden Gods few other authors can match. For more information, please visit www.scmegale.com.

• ForewordPrefaceIntroductionKey for Player StatsChapter 1: Lake of Legend: Sled Hockey’s History, Rules, and EquipmentChapter 2: Manny Guerra, Jr.Chapter 3: NaganoChapter 4: Joe HowardChapter 5: Gathering the TeamChapter 6: Sly FlisChapter 7: Training ChampionsChapter 8: Patrick ByrneChapter 9: Arriving in Salt Lake CityChapter 10: Dave ConklinChapter 11: Game One: USA vs. JapanChapter 12: Chris MannsChapter 13: Game Two: USA vs. CanadaChapter 14: Josh WirtChapter 15: Game Three: USA vs. NorwayChapter 16: Brian RuheChapter 17: Kip St. GermaineChapter 18: Game Four: USA vs. SwedenChapter 19: Dan HendersonChapter 20: Game Five: USA vs. EstoniaChapter 21: James DunhamChapter 22: Pat SappChapter 23: The Storm Before the StormChapter 24: Gold Medal Game: USA vs. NorwayChapter 25: Lonnie HannahChapter 26: Matt Coppens and Jack SandersChapter 27: AftermathConclusionAcknowledgmentsAbout the Author

Twenty years ago, it was generally accepted that the U.S. Paralympic sled hockey team was just awful. Winning a medal was not just unlikely but downright inconceivable. That changed in 2002, when Rick Middleton, a former NHL player, signed on to coach the team and led it to winning the gold medal. The subtitle’s use of the phrase “miracle on ice” references the 1980 gold-medal Olympic hockey game between Russia and the U.S. (in which a mostly amateur U.S. team defeated the powerhouse Soviets). Applying that phrase to the paralympic sled-hockey team's triumph in 2002 is entirely apt; this story, like that one, is a classic triumph-over-adversity saga. It wasn’t the players' physical limitations that kept them from succeeding; it was their lack of training and cohesion as a team. This well-told account of how they overcame those obstacles is a sports story that transcends athletics. Inspirational can be an overused adjective, but not this time.

S.C. Megale is an adventurer, humanitarian, hockey lover, and author who lives outside Washington, DC, and was first traditionally published at the age of twenty-three. A prolific writer, Megale has been profiled by the Washington Post, USA Today, and the Today Show, among others. Megale’s genetic and permanent muscular dystrophy lends a unique perspective to Hockey’s Hidden Gods few other authors can match. For more information, please visit www.scmegale.com.

• ForewordPrefaceIntroductionKey for Player StatsChapter 1: Lake of Legend: Sled Hockey’s History, Rules, and EquipmentChapter 2: Manny Guerra, Jr.Chapter 3: NaganoChapter 4: Joe HowardChapter 5: Gathering the TeamChapter 6: Sly FlisChapter 7: Training ChampionsChapter 8: Patrick ByrneChapter 9: Arriving in Salt Lake CityChapter 10: Dave ConklinChapter 11: Game One: USA vs. JapanChapter 12: Chris MannsChapter 13: Game Two: USA vs. CanadaChapter 14: Josh WirtChapter 15: Game Three: USA vs. NorwayChapter 16: Brian RuheChapter 17: Kip St. GermaineChapter 18: Game Four: USA vs. SwedenChapter 19: Dan HendersonChapter 20: Game Five: USA vs. EstoniaChapter 21: James DunhamChapter 22: Pat SappChapter 23: The Storm Before the StormChapter 24: Gold Medal Game: USA vs. NorwayChapter 25: Lonnie HannahChapter 26: Matt Coppens and Jack SandersChapter 27: AftermathConclusionAcknowledgmentsAbout the Author

Twenty years ago, it was generally accepted that the U.S. Paralympic sled hockey team was just awful. Winning a medal was not just unlikely but downright inconceivable. That changed in 2002, when Rick Middleton, a former NHL player, signed on to coach the team and led it to winning the gold medal. The subtitle’s use of the phrase “miracle on ice” references the 1980 gold-medal Olympic hockey game between Russia and the U.S. (in which a mostly amateur U.S. team defeated the powerhouse Soviets). Applying that phrase to the paralympic sled-hockey team's triumph in 2002 is entirely apt; this story, like that one, is a classic triumph-over-adversity saga. It wasn’t the players' physical limitations that kept them from succeeding; it was their lack of training and cohesion as a team. This well-told account of how they overcame those obstacles is a sports story that transcends athletics. Inspirational can be an overused adjective, but not this time.