Local inline hockey player brings home gold at South American Inline Hockey Invitational

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – He’s been playing inline hockey since he was just 6 years old right here in Bowling Green, and recently, he made a trip to Brazil to compete on a national stage.

“So I am a defenseman for Maryville. Roller hockey is similar to ice hockey, but there’s one less guy on the rink for both teams… there’s no icing, there’s no offsides,” John Klein says.

John’s father is a huge hockey fan, and when he was growing up, his dad wanted him to try out the sport he loves so much.

“When I was 6, he recommended that I go out and try… and I hated it. I was falling all over the rink… but slowly I started to learn and now it’s been 15 years of playing,” he says.

Those 15 years of experience have led him to Division 3 Maryville University in Missouri, and recently, this Saints player represented Bowling Green on a national stage at the South American Inline Hockey Invitational, where Team USA brought home the gold.

“So the year before, they had lost in the finals to the exact same team in overtime… so going into the game, everyone was excited and wanted to right the wrong. So going in, we scored the opener and then they tied it up… and then we were up 2 to 1 and with less than a minute left, they scored to tie it. In overtime, we came down and scored with one second left to win the game,” Klein says.

With members from the University of Arizona, Michigan State and more, John says he’s honored to be able to win gold with some of the best players in the country.

“I’ve never felt that way before… it was just this moment of joy and excitement and to share it with 13 incredible guys who live all across the country was really neat,” he says.

But above all his accomplishments at the collegiate and national levels, he still loves representing his hometown and the friends he grew up with on the rink.

“Getting to wear that jersey representing the country, but also the state… Bowling Green… my family… thinking about all the guys I played with growing up, it was a dream come true, and to get to represent the country and play on such a large scale was awesome and a dream come true for me,” Klein says.