Evanston, Illinois - Anders Lindgren skated as a member of the US Men's National Deaf Ice Hockey Team that defeated Canada to win gold at the 19th Winter Deaflympics on December 21, 2019. The 19^th Winter Deaflympics were held December 12–21, 2019, in Valtellina Valchiavenna, Italy. The competition was organized by the International Committee of Sports for the Deaf and sanctioned by the International Olympic Committee, IOC.

Hockey teams from Canada, Finland, Kazakhstan, Russia and the United States competed at the 2019 games. The US team beat Finland (6-2), Kazakhstan (14-0) and Russia (7-3) in round robin play. They suffered their only round robin loss to Canada (1-4) the day preceding the championship game. In the gold medal game, the US team took a decisive lead in the second period going up 4-1. The game ended with a final score of USA 7 - Canada 3.

"As one of seven rookies added to Team USA, Anders had big skates to fill in with the departure of Bo Ruef from the top line," said Head Coach Joe Gotfryd. "He solidified the line by playing center between the dynamic duo of Peter Gintoli and Derek Struwing." Lindgren finished second on Team USA with 4 goals and 4 assists for a total of 8 points.

Lindgren is a junior at AU where he is studying nursing.  He plays on the Aurora University ACHA D2 hockey team. "In addition to being one of the hardest workers on the team, you never see Anders without a smile," said Gotfryd. "We look forward to having Anders as part of future international teams."

"We had one goal for the Deaflympics, to win gold," said General Manager Richard Dumas. "I can't say enough about our players and how quickly they came together as a team. From the first game on, they played at a high level and demonstrated their will to do what it took to win. It was a tremendous honor to represent the United States and to return home with a gold medal."

The team operates under the guidelines of USA Hockey and the USA Deaf Sports Federation with primary responsibility to organize the team resting with AHIHA – Stan Mikita Hockey School for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. To qualify, athletes must have a hearing loss of at least 55 dB in their "better ear." Hearing aids, cochlear implants and the like are not allowed during competition to ensure that all athletes play on the same level.

For information, photos and game summaries check out:  http://www.2019deaflympics.com/
Information about AHIHA can be found at:  http://www.ahiha.org