COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- The 2007 U.S. Deaflympic Ice Hockey Team recently won the gold medal at the 16th Winter Deaflympics, held Feb. 1-10, in Salt Lake City, Utah, after finishing the round-robin tournament with a 4-1-0 record. The gold medal represented the United States’ fifth medal in as many attempts at the Deaflympics.

“I couldn’t be more proud of this team,” said Jeff Sauer (Madison, Wis.), head coach of the 2007 U.S. Deaflympic Team. “They can really be proud of the fact that they’re the best in the world. It was the result of a lot of hard work and this accomplishment is something they’ll be able to share with their children and grandchildren some day.”

The U.S. team, which was assembled by the American Hearing Impaired Hockey Association, bounced back from a loss to Russia in its opening game to earn four consecutive victories against Sweden, Canada, Finland and Germany.

Ben Johnson (Faribault, Minn.) paced Team USA with nine points (3-6), followed by Stephen Wangberg (Bemidji, Minn.) (4-4--8) and Andy Howard (Commerce, Mich.) (3-4--7). Jeff Mansfield (Boston, Mass.) posted a 4-0-0 record with a .939 save percentage and 1.64 goals-against average . The 2007 U.S. Deaflympic Ice Hockey Team was selected from a pool of 30 players following training camps in Chicago and Ann Arbor, Mich.

The Deaflympics, founded in 1924, is the second oldest international multi-cultural sports event in the world, surpassed only by the Olympic Games, which were founded in 1894. The 2007 Winter Deaflympics featured over 400 athletes from 22 countries competing in alpine and cross country skiing, snowboarding, curling and ice hockey.

The Deaflympics (previously known as the International Silent Games, the World Silent Games and the World Winter Games for the Deaf) is recognized by the International Olympic Committee. The United States has participated in five Deaflympics, securing two gold medals (2007, 1995), two silver medals (1991, 1999) and a bronze medal (2003).