Another Day to Remember at Annual Sled Hockey Classic

I think I can officially chalk up January 19th as one of the most exciting days of 2026 despite barely being into the new year. The excitement wasn’t from overcoming a personal challenge or any personal achievement. It was something much greater.

Not even two full years ago, I joined the State College Coyotes sled hockey team. At that time, it was an organization that was centered around providing individuals with disabilities an outlet to stay active and participate in a sport. We would mainly travel to tournaments with the goal of having fun; winning them seemed like a long shot.

Fast forward to today, where Penn State Men’s hockey has helped us raise tens of thousands of dollars and we are in a position now where we have so many players of different skill levels that we created a recreational and competitive team. And this year’s Sled Hockey Classic was unlike any other.

My day started by going to Pegula Ice Arena and meeting my coaches, DJ and Alexis Wilson, along with my teammates there. From that point, we began to unload sleds and other equipment to use for the day. 

Before I continue, I need to address a vital portion of the whole event. This event was created four years ago by former Penn State Men’s Hockey forward Dylan Lugris. With his departure from the program, he has since handed the responsibility of organizing the event to alternate captain and junior forward Reese Laubach and captain and junior forward Dane Dowiak.

When Reese and Dane arrived, they shared the same excitement as the rest of us. That excitement and positivity proved to be contagious throughout the day. 

Then came game time. We first started by playing an intersquad game. We decided to divide the teams up by young vs. old players, a move that Penn State head coach and member of the old timers team Guy Gadowsky wasn’t particularly thrilled about. 

The intersquad game started off by showing what our really young players could do. These players, some of them not even over the age of ten, absolutely crushed and were single handedly the reason why the youngsters prevailed. 

What’s beautiful about this event is how the whole team plays a role to make it happen. Of course, a lot of the players get in sleds to play, but it goes far beyond that. Players are on the benches coaching, officiating the games, working the DJ booth and, a role in which freshman forward Lev Katzin stole the show, announcing during the game.

Heading into this year’s event, the Coyotes held a 3-0 record over the Nittany Lions. And since we were coming off of eight straight wins, we thought we could extend the series streak to four wins.

Late in the game, the score was 3-2 in favor of Penn State. Then, a miracle happened. Guy Gadowsky was able to net the game-tying goal; or so we thought. After an official review, thanks to Nick Fascia and Kevin Reidler, the goal was waved off due to goalie interference. The explanation behind the decision: their ice, their rules. This was met with an outpouring of boos from the RoarZone who packed the house for the game. 

Unfortunately, the Nittany Lions were able to hold on for the 3-2 victory making it their first win of the series. But, this event goes far beyond wins and losses. Although an official total is yet to be announced, I have heard from Reese that it will far exceed the number from last year. This truly changes the trajectory of our program. It helps us afford equipment, travel costs and other expenses. This event has played a major role in evolving the Coyotes and we can’t wait to see what next year brings.