Knights prove competitive hockey has no age, ability limits

Date: 10/6/2009

By Katelyn Gendron

Reminder Assistant Editor



WESTFIELD -- Competitive ice hockey is not limited to those at the collegiate or professional levels, Para Olympians prove that everyday, as do those men and women of the newly formed Western Mass. Knights.

The Center for Human Development's (CHD) Disability Resource Program has partnered with graduates of the Shriners Hospital Junior Team and others to create a new avenue for competitive sled hockey in Western Massachusetts.

"You're not a person with a disability, you're a hockey player," Nancy Bazanchuk, program director for the CHD Disability Resource Program and member of the Western Mass. Knights, said, adding that she's a bilateral above the knee amputee.

The sport of sled hockey is similar to conventional ice hockey; players sit on a sled attached to two skate blades. They propel themselves forward with the stainless steel pick on one end of their hockey stick.

Bazanchuk said new members are always welcome, adding that the sport demands significant upper body strength to move the sled.

"It's one of my favorite sports," she continued. "I like being able to be rough and you're so free [sliding on the ice] -- It's a totally different feeling from being tied into my chair. On the ice, it doesn't matter [what disability you have]."

Bazanchuk noted that men dominate sled hockey, however, the Knights have an "interesting mix" with a roster of half men and half women. She added that the team offers myriad benefits including physical fitness, social interaction and peer support.

Agawam resident Corey Drouin, 20, explained that he aged out of Shriners Hospital Junior Team and was traveling to Boston in order to play with an adult team. He said he still plays in Boston but now enjoys playing closer to home.

Drouin explained that he grew up watching ice hockey and has always been a Boston Bruins fan. He noted that his physical limitations have never kept him from playing his favorite sport.

"For that one hour [on the ice], they're just like every other hockey player," Carole Appleton, coach of the Knights, and assistant to the general manager of the Springfield Falcons, said.

She noted that even though she's an able-bodied person, she chooses to coach the team from a sled because "it's important to experience the experience the way they [the players] do."

"You're down at their level and there's no disability [for anyone] and they have to look you in the eye," Appleton said.

Bazanchuk noted the Knights are still looking for sponsors to help with equipment and travel costs.

The Knights will practice each Sunday beginning Oct. 11 from 4:45 to 5:50 p.m. at Amelia Park Ice Arena, 21 South Broad St.

For additional information about the Knights, contact Bazanchuk at 788-9695 or via e-mail at nbazanchuk@chd.org.