Huddled inside bulky sweaters and puffy coats at Swonder Ice Arena, families and caretakers keep their eyes affixed to the ice, watching jersey and helmet-clad hockey players push pucks around the frozen surface.
But these are no ordinary skaters. Meet the Tri-State Sled Dogs.
Joel Claycomb, a Spanish teacher at Boonville High School in Warrick County, founded the Sled Dogs in 2019 — right before the outbreak of COVID-19. Whatever initial success the group enjoyed, the pandemic ground to a halt for 18 months.
Three years later, the Sled Dogs still are rebuilding and raising awareness for the sport they love. Playing September through March or April, team members also sometimes hold scrimmages at Thunderbolts hockey games.
Claycomb is joined by Matthew Rundle, a music teacher at Evansville’s Cedar Hall Community School who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Like Claycomb, Rundle created a group (Harwood Hockey, named for the now-demolished two-room school) so underserved children had the opportunity to learn how to play hockey. Because of MS, Rundle himself couldn’t skate from 2008 to 2019, when Claycomb introduced him to sled hockey.
Sled hockey itself isn’t new — it was introduced in the 1970s and is a Paralympic sport, with an estimated 6,000 players in the U.S. Instead of maneuvering via skates on their feet, players sit on a sled and propel themselves in pursuit of the puck using sticks with teeth on the ends.
Around a dozen people ages 6-60 make up the Sled Dogs. New to this year’s team is Ellie Jane Pfingston, an 11-year-old with cerebral palsy who walks with braces and uses a wheelchair. In spring 2022, Pfingston rappelled down the side of CenterPoint Energy’s headquarters in Downtown Evansville as part of Over the Edge 4 Granted. In her inaugural season with the Sled Dogs, Claycomb says Pfingston has played center and is connecting the dots.
Because Evansville’s team is building a full squad, some of the Sled Dogs play with the Indianapolis Steel. High school junior Rian Likens is one, and he helped the Steel win a national championship in 2023. Likens, who is diagnosed with hereditary spastic paraplegia, has difficulty balancing while walking. He grew up watching his older brother, Hunter, on the ice, and although he couldn’t skate out and join, he knew the game inside and out. It was Likens who inspired Claycomb to start the Sled Dogs.
“Ryan can hold his own in a scrimmage with able-bodied players,” says Claycomb, adding with a laugh, “He busted his first sled because he played so hard.”
Playing for at least five years now, Likens is finishing high school via online classes so he can get more time on the ice. A defense player, “I try to push myself,” he says. His goal is to play for USA Hockey — with an Indianapolis Steel championship under his belt, he’s well on his way.
Will Hammen is another enthusiast. The Owensboro Catholic High School sophomore watched his siblings play sports growing up. His brother Jacob played football while in high school — because of his limited mobility, sports haven’t been something Hammen can try.
Sled hockey is his first sport. Since last season, his family has commuted from Owensboro, Kentucky, so he can play with the Sled Dogs. Similar to Likens, Hammen’s acumen and skill allow him to practice drills while also coaching younger players.
“It’s amazing,” he says. “We’re all out here.”
Players start with a free skate on a sled with wheels. As they gain skill and confidence, the wheels come off. Sled lengths can be adjusted to a player’s height and preference — for example, Likens carves up the ice with his knees strapped in a bent position, which other players position their legs stretched out. Likewise, bucket seats differ in size and back support.
Coaches like Claycomb and Rundle run players through drills, including stick usage, stopping, dribbling, and passing the puck. Some players work on physical development, like dexterity. For others, Claycomb says, the exercises are aimed at building their confidence.
The team has exposed some challenges with the sport, including costs. There are only two sled manufacturers in North America, limiting their availability and driving up their price. USA Hockey helps the team get sleds. Sticks and a sled average $900. Rinks must be rented; each practice at Swonder is $210 an hour. Sled Dogs organizers don’t charge players to participate, so the funds to cover equipment purchases, rink rentals, and transportation come from grants and donations.
Help also comes from community members. The shop teacher at Boonville High School carved a custom stick to make it easier to grip for Brayzon Byers, a first-grader at Vogel Elementary School who suffered a spinal cord bleed at age four that left him paralyzed. Each week, he attends five different therapy sessions, which is where his parents first learned of the Sled Dogs.
On the ice, Brayzen is a blur of motion. Because he’s a beginner, his sled includes wheelers designed to prevent him from tipping over. He also sits in a bucket built to support his back. Brayzen loves to pop wheelies for his fans. At the Sled Dogs’ Sept. 30 practice, eight family members cheered him on.
“This is all him,” his father, Andy Byers, says. “It wears him out,” adds mother Kassidy Adcox.
“We all enjoy being on the ice,” says David Cordray, an avid hockey fan and agent with Shelter Insurance. He makes the drive from his home in Princeton, Indiana, to help coach the Sled Dogs. “Otherwise, they’d never have the opportunity. They’re doing it themselves, learning themselves.”
Able-bodied players are invited to hop on a sled themselves, and several have taken the chance. Likens’ older brother, who helped foster Likens’ love for the sport, sat on a sled and slapped a puck around to see what his sibling experienced. A skilled hockey player himself, Likens’ brother felt like a fish out of water.
“He said it was totally different,” Likens laughs.
CURIOUS ABOUT SLED HOCKEY?
Join a Sled Dogs practice at Swonder Ice Arena, 209 N. Boeke Road, at 7:15 p.m. Dec. 16, Jan. 27, Feb. 24, March 17, and April 14, or at 2:45 p.m. Dec. 8, Jan. 12, Feb. 9, and March 2 and 30.
