NCAA Hockey Goalie Is Allergic to Ice

This article originally appeared on VICE Sports Canada.

An NCAA goalie from Wisconsin has the strangest and most difficult allergy imaginable for a hockey player—ice. Seriously.

Suffering from a condition called cold urticaria, also known as cold hives, Quinnipiac University goaltender Chris Truehl is literally allergic to ice and also highly sensitive to cold temperatures. As you can imagine, the condition is not ideal for someone whose job involves sliding around on sheets of frozen water for hours a day.

"You'll see me skating around a lot, stretching my legs, moving my arms. If I start to feel my body stiffen, or my skin begins to tighten and feel uncomfortable, I absolutely have to," Truehl said in a recent interview with Quinnipiac University, a strong collegiate program, which made it to the NCAA Frozen Four final last season.

"I know. There is absolutely no shortage of irony there."

The first signs of the condition appeared in 2013 when Truehl was a former member of the United States Air Force and goaltender for Air Force's Division I hockey team. According to Truehl, he hopped into an ice bath after practice one day, when he started to feel pain while red welts started forming on his skin. The welts spread throughout his body and began to grow darker and more painful. After thinking it was a reaction to a bite of some sort and undergoing tests, it became clear the hives covering Truehl's body were an allergic response to the ice-cold water he had submerged himself in after practice.

A year prior, according to Truehl, he was caught in a stretch of unexpected, harsh weather during an outdoor training exercise for the Air Force. For nearly five days, they trudged through temperatures dipping below freezing at times while battling hail and rain and, by the end of it all, Truehl's skin was nearly 40 percent covered in frostbite.

The condition ended his military career, disqualifying him from all graded positions and Truehl had to leave the Air Force. As a veteran goaltender with over 50 games experience and his eyes set on a post-collegiate professional career, he transferred to Quinnipiac, where he's continued to develop his game while discovering new and creative ways to take care of his condition.

With ice baths now out of the question, he depends on heat and electric stimulation to manage soreness and minimize injury.

"I don't get to 'cool down' until the end of the game," he said.

The 23-year old posted a sub-three goals against average during his two seasons at the Air Force Academy while putting up a stellar 2.01 GAA and .921 save percentage as a freshman in 2013-14. He has 10 wins and an .899 save percentage in 21 games for Quinnipiac this season.