Third annual Penn State Sled Hockey Classic raises more than $18K for growing program

Pegula Ice Arena was full of recognizable but distinctly different chants on Sunday morning, with “We are Coy-Otes” roaring through the crowd during the third annual Penn State Sled Hockey Classic.

The State College Coyotes competed against members of the Penn State men’s hockey team during the fundraising event that generated well over $18,000 toward the program that provides an opportunity for hockey players with disabilities to compete in the sport.

“It’s just really overwhelming that so many people have come together to support this team and these athletes,” said Alexis Wilson, who started the team in 2016 with her husband, DJ. “That number, like that’s their season next year, that’ll pay for them to travel, that’ll pay for their tournament fees and their ice time and some new equipment if we need it — it’s huge.”

DJ and Alexis Wilson started the team nearly a decade ago after noticing a need for a program like this in the State College area. They only had enough equipment for 10 players initially, but it has now grown to two full teams that compete across Pennsylvania. Players sit in a sled and use two sticks to propel themselves across the ice.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, Penn State has been rebuilding its Adaptive Athletics program with Brenna O’Connor as its program director. Before Sunday’s event, it gained its first ever signee with sled hockey player, Max Malec.

“I’ve always known I wanted to come here since I was a little kid, so it was an easy decision,” Malec said.

Half of the Pegula ice rink was sectioned off for Sunday’s matches. The two Coyotes teams faced off first, and the purple squad defeated the white team 4-2 to next face the Penn State hockey players, fresh off the Nittany Lions’ upset win over Ohio State.

The Roar Zone, Penn State’s hockey student section, filled three rows in the stands, with community members wearing purple State College Coyotes shirts and waving purple shakers filed in behind them. Roar Zone President Austin Craig hasn’t missed a Sled Hockey Classic and said the program has grown significantly.

“Some of these athletes are just incredible,” Craig said. “The way they stick handle it and propel themselves forward is very impressive.”

When the purple Coyote team got its chance against the Nittany Lions, the 20 minutes of regulation wasn’t enough — it went to a shootout.

Dylan Lugris, the 2024 Hockey Humanitarian Recipient, started the Sled Hockey Classic his sophomore year. The entire Penn State hockey program, along with head coach Guy Gadowsky, has been a pivotal support system to the State College Coyotes, and they all attend Malec’s signing ceremony Sunday morning.

“These people have such a passion for the game and they have such a love for the sport,” Lugris said. “They’re really good too, like we’re Division I athletes and we can’t even keep up with them.”

After Lugris graduates in the spring, sophomore forward Reese Laubach will take over the initiative.

The Coyotes defeated Penn State in the shootout to win, as “Zombie Nation” pumped through the arena’s speakers while the team slapped their sticks on the glass in celebration with the cheering fans.

“These are not only individuals with disabilities, they are here to compete,” DJ Wilson said. “They are not here for you to feel bad for them in any shape, way or form; they are here to play competitively and they want to be seen as athletes.”

The Coyotes practice in Pegula every Sunday and there’s about three to four travel tournaments during the year. Penn State has helped with the program’s exposure and it’s starting to be more widely recognized.

“When you put an idea forward, it’s amazing what happens,” Lugris said.

For more information about State College Sled Hockey, visit www.facebook.com/StateCollegeCoyotes.