With less than six months to go before the start of the Paralympic Winter Games and our team having high hopes to be the first ever American sled team to win back to back gold medals (world championships and Paralympics) the pressure is on.

The only difference this time, besides a few new players, is that we have to do it on a bigger stage. With that in mind most members of the team have started working out with personal trainers at the start of the season, and it seems to be paying dividends so far.

We started off the season with a two game set against Canada in Toronto that even though in my opinion we didn't even come close to playing our best hockey we came out and split the series.

We didn't have much time to rest as 12 days later we were back together to play three games against Japan in Rochester, New York. This series meant a lot more than just winning a few games against a team that has played us tough over the past few years.

Japan is widely considered our main competition to get through in the first round at the Vancouver Paralympic Games. With that in mind we came out flying and sent a message to the Japanese by sweeping and outscoring them 15-1 in the three games.

One thing that really stood out when we played Japan was how much depth our team has now. We rolled three lines and no matter who we put out, the guys performed.  That really showed in our second game, which we won 7-1, scoring a goal on each of our first four shifts.

If we can continue to roll three lines and keep our team fresh we will have a huge advantage over every other team in the world. No country has the depth that we have as a team and that is a huge asset, especially when you have to play five games in six or seven days.

The team looks, so far, to be building into a group that I have confidence with solid defensive and unselfish play can come out of Vancouver with our country's second ever gold medal in sled hockey.

But, there is still a long road ahead of us before we reach that point. There are three trips left before we make our final cuts (from the current roster of 18, down to the final roster of 12), and with so many players stepping up and having a good year to this point, our coaching staff has a lot of tough decisions ahead of them.

I'm not really one to get excited about many things, but I am looking forward to getting back to the Paralympic Winter Games with a little bit of a different mindset this time. I'm not sure I'll be returning to the national team after this season, so I quit my job to give my team and my sport 100% through Vancouver. Right now, I'm going to the gym to work with my trainer three days a week - soon to be four - as well as being on the ice four to five times a week. I'm hoping with everyone's added commitment that if this is really my last run, even at the age of 23, I want to go out on top.