By Adam Sheldon

Twin brothers Vince and Lance Wheeler have St. John’s hockey coach John Harrington seeing double.

Ever since Vince and Lance became teammates on the Johnnie hockey team last season, it has been difficult to tell the brothers apart.

Harrington quickly found a solution to the problem.

“I can’t tell Vince and Lance apart at all, so now I just call them both Vance,” Harrington said.

Harrington got a little creative by giving Lance a shirt that had “I’m Lance, he’s Vince” printed on it.

Whether or not their coach can tell them apart, Vince and Lance Wheeler have proven to be vital to the St. John’s hockey team. Vince is a junior All-MIAC goaltender for the Johnnies, and Lance plays defense.

When on the ice, Vince’s goalie gear would seem to make it easier to differentiate the brothers, but Vince said the name confusion is still a regular occurence.

“We’ve had several games where Harrington has started Lance in goal,” Vince Wheeler said.

Early start, late departure

Vince and Lance started playing hockey at age 6 and have been teammates all but one year of their hockey careers.

The pair is originally from Robbinsdale, Minn., and now live in Clearwater.

The Wheelers played prep hockey at St. Cloud Tech High School, went on to play a year in junior hockey, and then decided to split ways.

Vince went on to play for a Division I program at Lake Superior State University, and Lance came to St. John’s.

Not being on the same team any longer proved difficult for the Wheelers.

“The first year without him was strange,” Lance Wheeler said. “It was the first time I couldn’t look in the net and see my brother between the pipes.”

After going separate ways, Vince thought it would be a while before he would play hockey with his brother again.

“Once we each committed to different schools, I figured we wouldn’t play on the same team again until we played in the bar leagues,” Vince said.

Together again

However, the brothers reunited a year later when Vince transferred to St. John’s last year as a sophomore.

After his first year at Lake Superior State there was still speculation if Vince would transfer to St. John’s. It was a strong connection between the two brothers that would reunite them once again.

“After Vince’s year at LSSU I told him to go where he thought was best for him, but we both knew I wanted him with me at SJU,” Lance said.

Getting a chance to play hockey with Lance again was a major factor in Vince’s decision to play for the Johnnies. “A big reason why I came to St. John’s was to play with my brother again,” Vince said.

Not all fun and games

Now that Vince and Lance are together again, both are determined to succeed for St. John’s.

Playing hockey with one another has always been a rewarding experience for Lance and Vince, but the brothers admit that it can be challenging at times.

“A hockey team is always expected to defend their goalie, but it is even more personal when the goalie is your twin brother,” Lance said.

Vince sometimes sees playing with Lance as something of a distraction.

“I’ve always trusted Lance on the ice,” Vince said. “It is comforting, but at the same time it can be sort of distracting because I take a little extra interest whenever he has the puck or makes a defensive play.”

Vince and Lance Wheeler get past the difficulties they face as twin brothers on the ice by staying commited to playing at a high level no matter the situation — even if Harrington mistakenly marks down Lance as his goaltender.

Filed under: Johnnies, Sports by Justin Roth