Sixty-one players will compete for the 17 spots available on the US Paralympic squad that will go into next year's Games as the defending champions in the sport, having beaten Japan for gold at Vancouver 2010.

The team secured their place at Sochi 2014 with a second-place finish at the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) Ice Sledge Hockey World Championships A-Pool in Goyang, South Korea earlier this year.

Among the athletes trying out are eight members of the Vancouver 2010 team – Steve Cash, Taylor Chace, Nikko Landeros, Taylor Lipsett, Adam Page, Josh Pauls, Alexi Salamone and Greg Shaw, who will be hoping to return to the Paralympics to retain their title.

Jeff Sauer will coach the team in Sochi, marking his third year in charge of the Americans.

The tryouts conclude tomorrow at the Northtown Centre at Amherst in suburban Buffalo, New York, with the final Sochi 2014 roster set to be announced on July 24.

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