After winning the team’s third straight gold medal this last winter at the Paralympic Games in South Korea, the Team USA Paralympic Sled Hockey team is back in action this week in Madison this week – playing in competition for the first time since taking home the gold.

“Hopefully it’s more than just hockey for people,” said Team USA sled hockey coach David Hoff. “But the hockey will definitely be good.”

“It’s been a long time since we’ve been playing in the games and even though this isn’t an actual like sanctioned international game, it’s still a lot of good sled hockey players going at it,” said Team USA sled hockey forward Declan Farmer.

These guys are the cream of the crop. Declan Farmer scored the game-tying and game-winning goals to win the gold for Team USA. He’s one of 24 paralympians in Madison practicing and playing this week.

“Sled hockey isn’t just something where, you know, people with disabilities go and have fun,” said Farmer. “It’s just another form of hockey. It’s physical, it’s fast-paced.”

“Madison’s really received us well,” said Team USA sled hockey defenseman Josh Pauls. “And to be able to interact with people who not only know what the game is, but have watched our games on TV. So the awareness of the sport has grown.”

“The stories [of the players] are amazing,” said Coach Hoff. “Whether it’s a military guy that’s survived a bad situation over in Iraq or Afghanistan, survived cancer, born with a congenital condition of some type or injured in an accident. They’re stories [that], whether you’re able-bodied or not, [you] can learn and I think be inspired from.”

Team USA and members of Team Norway will be playing in two exhibition games – on Friday at 7pm and Saturday at 4pm at Madison Ice Arena. Admission to the games are free for the public.