For the third time the World Deaf
Ice Hockey Championships
have been contested.
This year the City of Buffalo, NY 
hosted the event which
was held at the 
NorthTown Centre in Amherst
from April 19-29.
The Northtown Center was recommended
to host the tournament
by Jeff Sauer, 
longtime hockey coach at
the University of Wisconsin 
and for the U.S. National
and U.S. Paralympic 
sled hockey teams.
Jeff Sauer coached the US 
National Deaf Ice Hockey
during the Winter Deaflympics 
in Khanty-Mansiysk in 2015.
Sauer died in February.
Teams from three continents 
were converging on Amherst
for the tournament.
Participating teams were from Canada,
the Czech Republic, 
Finland, Kazakhstan,
and the United States.
USA Men’s Hockey on 
their win over Canada
6-3 in the final Championship game.
The US team included 23 players 
from 13 states.
Canada got the silver, 
Finland - bronze.
For the first time 
there were Women’s teams
participating in the World 
Deaf Ice Hockey Championships.
The US and Canadian 
Women’s teams played two
exhibition (demonstration) games. 
Canada won both games 6-3
and 6-4.
The Canadian Deaf Sports 
Association (CSDA) strongly support
Canadian Deaf Ice Hockey Federation's (CDIHF)
bid to host the 4th World Deaf
Ice Hockey Championships in 
British Columbia in 2021.
