Meet the Slippery Rock in-line hockey teammates heading to Brazil for international tournament
Cade Wheeler and Alec Thomas have put a lot of time and effort into the sport of in-line hockey, but neither ever thought it would lead to playing on a different continent.
A junior and senior at Slippery Rock University, respectively, the duo was recently chosen to be part of the National Collegiate Roller Hockey Association's All-American team, which will take part in the South American Inline Hockey Invitational, to be held Nov. 13-17 in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Wheeler and Thomas both played the sport at the club level, Wheeler at Butler High School and Thomas at North Allegheny. They've been part of SRU's program since their freshman and sophomore year, respectively.
"There was an application process (for the All-American team), and I turned one in just for the heck of it. I never thought I'd get picked," said Wheeler, a defenseman. "We had to provide our stats and some coaching references. We found out Oct. 10 that we were chosen and I was very surprised."
The NCRHA team will consist of 14 players, including two goalies, Thomas being one of them. Other schools contributing to the roster include Arizona, Michigan State, Grand Canyon and Robert Morris, among others.
Players will convene Sunday in Miami and fly to Brazil, where they will get in a couple of practices prior to the tournament. The field will include three teams from Brazil and one each from Ecuador, Chile, Colombia and Argentina for a total of eight teams.
"Last year, the All-American team placed second," Thomas said. "We're going for gold, but hopefully we'll end up with some kind of medal."
Wheeler began playing in-line when he was 10. Over a decade later, he's still hooked.
"It gets me out of school and is like an escape for me," he said. "This is a once-in-a-lifetime event, and I can't turn it down.
"Hockey is very big in South America, but there are few ice rinks. It's mostly inline."
Wheeler and Thomas are part of a collegiate program used to success. Slippery Rock has won three straight conference titles, regularly qualifies for the Eastern Regional tournament and has played in the national championship game multiple times.
Having a teammate make the trip with him is not something Thomas is taking for granted.
"It definitely helps my mindset," he said. "It makes me more excited to go and more confident."
