Sled Hockey players from Austin, Dallas, and Houston teamed up to compete in the 2015 USA Disabled Festival held in Buffalo NY on April 9 to April 12 as the Texas Stars.

 

The 2015 USA Disabled Festival was the biggest tournament that USA Hockey has held for disabled athletes. The three-day event saw a record 71 teams and nearly 1,000 players participate in the largest disabled hockey event of its kind.

 

Members of the Austin Blades Sled Hockey Team contributed 5 players to the Texas Stars Team. They included Chris Taylor (Goalie), David Wear (Winger),  Sammy Samarripa (Winger),  Larry Stoddard (Center), and Frank Dorval (Defense).

 

The Austin players helped save the Championship goals in the first game on Thursday evening. With players, the coach, and all of the volunteers from Houston stuck in Chicago due to bad weather, the Austin and Dallas players took the ice to dominate the competition with a winning score of 7 - 0.  (Larry Stoddard with 2 goals, David Wear with 1 goal, Frank Dorval with 1 goal, Sammy Samarripa  with an assist, and Chris Taylor bored in his job of goal tending. Dallas player Alfredo Corona scored 3 goals.) These players without a coach at this game stepped up and got the job done to save the Championship goals for the Texas Stars team.

 

With the Houston group renting vans and driving 10 hours from Chicago to Buffalo, they were able to make the Friday morning game. From then on the team of the Texas Stars were unstoppable. With a complete sweep of all their games they were the only undefeated team in their division going into the Championship Game.

 

The Championship game was the hardest game of the tournament. The Texas Stars won that game 3 to 1 and completed the tournament on top of their Division with the Championship. Thus completing their dreams of a Championship after 4 years of competing in the USA Disabled Festival Tournament.

 

The Texas Stars team won Bronze in 2012, Silver in 2014, and now Gold in 2015 with help of players from Austin.

 

Joseph Montemayor a triple amputee from Houston, is the worlds first triple amp to win a Bronze, Silver, Gold, and score a goal in the USA Disabled Festival Tournament.  Joseph travels from Houston to practice with the Austin Blades and the San Antonio Rampage regularly.

 

The Austin Blades were able to send their youngest player "Foster" Grant Blair, age 10,  to the 2015 USA Disabled Festival. Grant was a player on the Northwest Passage team. Grant scored 3 goals and 1 assist in the tournament. Grant is an up and coming Sled Hockey Super Star.