Every year the Utica College hockey team reaches out to the community through various efforts. They have been known to read to youngsters at local elementary schools, organize a teddy bear toss in efforts to collect toys for children, and each year have held a â€Pink the Rink Night†for breast cancer awareness. This year they have added something else to their list. Every other Monday teenagers from the Upstate Cerebral Palsy (UCP) organization come to the rink and the players are teaching them how to skate and play hockey. Aaron Jeffery, a junior on the team doesn’t think it takes too much effort to put in the time with the disabled teens. â€We have a lot of good guys on the team who like to do good things,†said Jeffery. â€It’s simple for us. †We’re always doing stuff in the community. This is something totally different. This is kind of cool to give kids an opportunity to skate and play hockey.†Eric Decarlis, a therapeutic recreation specialist for UCP says the teens really benefit from the interaction that takes place with the players. â€They look up to the guys,†he said. â€It’s role modeling for them. They want new people to play with and it gets them active, too. We want them to use the energy they have, especially in a positive way. This is one of the things they look forward to the most.†The season is winding down and soon the ice will be removed from the Utica Memorial Auditorium shortly, but the team hopes to work with the teens a few more times, with the ultimate goal being to get the teens to play a scrimmage on the ice in between periods.
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