The Massapequa Chiefs recently squared off against the Long Island RoughRiders at the Bethpage Skating Rink and it was no ordinary ice hockey game. Ice skates were not required and the Varsity/JV Chiefs quickly learned not to underestimate their challenged opponents.
The teams set up center ice in sleds with their sticks in hand to play a friendly, yet competitive game. The Chiefs, coached by Tony DeMayo, had to adjust to using their arms to move themselves along the ice on their double-bladed sleds and continuously balance their weight to avoid tipping over.
Bryan Blomquist, president of the Long Island Sled Hockey since 2003, was happy to renew the rivalry with the Massapequa Chiefs.
“It was a far cry from our early matches outdoors at Marjorie Post,” he said. “A common theme, however, is that we always want to show everyone in attendance that disabled is not a ‘bad’ connotation; our phrase for it is ‘differently-abled.’ We want those able-bodied athletes on the ice against us and those watching to see just how talented our athletes are and that they deserve respect and admiration.”
The early morning crowd cheered on both teams on, and there was much surprise watching the normally quick moving Chiefs diligently working to move the puck down the ice. The Chiefs varisty goalie, Marc Perrino, had his work cut out for him. Perrino was deflecting shots from all over as the RoughRiders deftly passed fr
om player to player and often set up shots for those athletes who were not as strong or relied on volunteers to push their sleds along the ice. The RoughRiders won the game easily, but the Chiefs gained the most after the game seeing firsthand the outstanding sportsmanship displayed.
It was evident that players and spectators alike left the rink with not only a smile, but a new found respect and appreciation for those who have had to face greater challenges in life.
The Long Island Sled Hockey RoughRiders mission for the past 18 years has been to foster and encourage sportsmanship and teamwork through the sport of sled hockey, specifically aimed at the adolescent population of physically and/or mentally challenged athletes. Invented in Sweden in the early 1960s at a rehabilitation center, sled hockey allows participants who have a physical disability to play the game of ice hockey, as the same rules apply for both games.
