Photo: Jeromey Russ/WBZ NewsRadio
ROCKLAND, Mass.(WBZ NewsRadio) — The Lovell Arena in Rockland hosted a hockey event Sunday for people with disabilities.
The Adaptive Hockey Showcase included players who are deaf, blind or who have had amputations.
“This is such a great opportunity for kids like my son with mobility issues and are not able to play regular hockey or many other sports,” Kathleen Gustafson said.
Gustafson's 12 year-old son has spina bifida. He played in one of nine games at the ice rink, each catered to provide equal playing fields for players with different disabilities.
David Hymovitz, a hockey coach at Thayer Academy, volunteered at the event with some of his players and said the event was a great way to make the sport more accessible.
“Everybody knows hockey the way it is,” he said. “This is another way to showcase some other ways of playing hockey.”
About two hundred players participated in the event. Elizabeth Dahlen, a sled hockey coach, said the game is about more than just athleticism.
“It’s all about the community and comradery," Dahlen said. "And to get to share that with our players and the team and build that program is fantastic."
Gustafson said she likes seeing her son have fun.
“Just because you have a disability doesn’t mean you’re not able to do what everybody else does,” Gustafson said. “You just have to do it a different way.”
WBZ NewsRadio’s Jeromey Russ (@JeromeyRuss) reports.