SLIPPERY ROCK — Consistency counts.

So does breaking through.

Slippery Rock University’s Division II club roller hockey team has wound up in the National Collegiate Roller Hockey Association national tournament often in recent years. Last weekend, the team reached the national title game, dropping a 2-1 decision to Neumann, a school near Philadelphia.

The tournament was played in Fort Myers, Florida.

“We got knocked out in the first round last year, made the semifinals before that,” senior defenseman and Butler resident Cade Wheeler said. “We took a big step this year because we had a coach all year and developed an effective system.

“We played without a coach most of last season.”

Dom Manz came on board to coach the team late last season and stayed on this year.

“Our forte was defense,” Manz said. “We were always about defense first. We gave up six goals in six (national) tournament games. That’s unheard-of in roller hockey, which is usually an offensive game.”

SRU finished 27-9 this season, many of the losses came due to Wheeler and goaltender Alec Thomas being unavailable to the team over a two-week period. The season ran from October through last weekend. The team practiced once a week in Grove City.

Wheeler and Thomas spent a two-week stretch in Brazil, playing for the NCRHA All-American team in a six-team tournament there. Brazil had four teams in that tourney. Argentina and the United States were also represented.

“Brazil’s teams were broken into age groups: 16-18, 18-25 and 25-35,” Wheeler said. “One of their teams wasn’t very good. We beat them, 20-0. We wound up winning the gold medal game 2-1.”

Wheeler and Thomas applied for spots on the U.S. team and were selected.

En route to the NCRHA title game, Slippery Rock defeated Ohio State twice, Northeastern, Boston and Robert Morris before losing to Neumann. SRU’s team consisted of 11 skaters and a goalie.

SRU defeated Neumann handily, 7-2 and 6-1, during regional play earlier in the year.

“Their goalie played a great game against us (in the national final),” Wheeler said. “We had 47 shots on him and he stopped 46 of them. They only had 18 shots. We just couldn’t get the puck behind him that day.”

Wheeler had 13 goals and four assists on the season for SRU. Thomas had a goals-against average of 2.49. Butler graduate Price McDonald was the second-leading scorer on the team with 23 goals and 15 assists, trailing only Bethel Park product Irwin Hurst, who scored 26 goals and 46 points.

Tyler Lesack of Evans City scored six goals for SRU.

“This team is like a family,” Manz said. “It’s very close-knit. No one is selfish. It’s a bunch of friends playing well together and having success with it.”

Grove City resident and senior defenseman Clay Williams is president of the Slippery Rock roller hockey club. Because it is a club sport, the team receives no funding from the university.

The club’s biggest fundraisers are a golf event at Slippery Rock Golf Club and an “Iron Man” roller hockey tournament consisting of 12 to 16 teams.

“We generally play our league games on weekends,” Williams said. “Our road trips aren’t too far away until you get into the national games.”

SRU’s road trips this season were to Buffalo; Columbus, Ohio; and Long Island.

“Our team is like a brotherhood,” Willians said. “A lot of us get together and play in a summer adult league at Family Sports Center (Butler) or at the Robert Morris University complex.”

“Price and I have been playing roller hockey together since grade school,” Wheeler said. “We’re pretty tight.”

The bulk of the team will be returning next year, though Thomas is graduating.

“Alec has been outstanding in goal,” Manz said. “His play was vital to our success. Finding another quality goaltender will be the key to us making another run next year.”