Three local athletes look to bring sled hockey team to Center Ice Sports Complex this fall

It's a cold day in February as a pair of athletes prepare for a photo shoot inside the Center Ice Sports Complex in Jackson. The two are part of a trio of area residents hoping the event serves as a preview of things to come. The three men are hoping the photo shoot is a first step towards bringing a sled hockey team for disabled athletes to the area this fall.

Brian Brately of Green, Jacob Baker of Hartville and Patrick Brennan of Ashland have played sled hockey for years on other teams outside the area. They are well aware of the impact being involved in it can have on participants.

"It means a lot to have an outlet like this," Baker said. "I started playing the sport when I was in the sixth grade and it helped me a lot with my confidence. I love sports and there were not a lot of opportunities for me to compete. This really helped me fill that urge. It's also led to me meeting a lot of lifelong friends. When I got married, half of my wedding party was made up of people I had met through sled hockey."

It's a feeling that the three men are hoping to bring to others in the community by giving them a chance to compete in sled hockey.

"It helps you with your feelings of independence," Brennan said. "When you are on the ice, you are no longer defined by what you can't do. It becomes about what you can do. I feel it's just as competitive and fun as any other sport you can play. I know for me it's given me a real opportunity to express myself, and the community is very close knit."

The opportunity to compete is just part of why the three friends enjoy sled hockey and what led them to creating this team.

"It gives you a really strong support system." Brately said. "It gives you an opportunity to make new friends. You can't overlook the social aspect of a sport like this. It's something that can be a struggle for people with a disability that are unable to participate in other sports."

Enter the Canton Tuskies. It is the organization formed by the three friends. They are hoping to bring sled hockey to the Center Ice Sports Complex beginning this fall.

"It's been an interesting process as far as starting a team from scratch," Brately said. "There are a lot of factors that you have to take under consideration. You have to pay for ice time, equipment, travel and tournament entry fees. The financial aspect of starting the team was the thing that was hardest to get a grasp on at first."

Center Ice has been particularly helpful in working with the group to start the team. Area businesses also have pitched in.

"Buffalo Wild Wings in Canton helped us out with a fundraiser," Brately said. "They did some fundraising for my old team and they were very helpful with doing another for our new team when they found out we were starting one."

The three have been involved in nearly every aspect of creating the team. Baker was instrumental in choosing the team name and designing the logos and uniforms.

"I have a background in graphic design," Baker said. "We chose the name Tuskies because of the Tuscarawas River that cuts through the area. It's an important landmark and I wanted that to play a part in the design of the logo."

Disabled athletes in the area are starting to take notice of the news of a team possibly coming to the area.

"We've had a very positive response so far," Brennan said. "The support has been really good. The community can feel small at times, but we've had quite a few people tell us that they have a relative that would love this sport and to be a part of the team. A big part of what we are trying to do right now is to bring awareness to the team."

The goal is to begin play this September or October.

"It will be hard to find words to describe what that first game will mean to us," Brately said. "It would be extremely meaningful for us. We've just been trying to get as many people involved as we can. There was a time we wondered if we could do this. We believe right now that we can do this. The important thing is we think it's something that will really help people in our position in the community."

There is work that remains to be done before that first game.

"The big thing for us has been to be smart about this process and not rush things," Brennan said. "We're very careful about what we spend our fundraising money on. We really want to start getting the word out — about the team. We're going to start ramping up our fundraising this summer as we get close to blasting off this fall."

Interested participants or members in the community can visit the Canton Tuskies Website to find out more about the team or make a donation.

"The website has a lot of information on the team," Brately said. "You will find a mission statement as well as a blurb about the players on the team right now. You can stay up to date with us by checking that out."

On X: @chickmanREP

Reach Cliff at cliff.hickman@cantonrep.com

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Canton Tuskies sled hockey looks to start play in fall 2024