Thanks to the generosity of several area agencies and a New England hockey fan, the University of New Hampshire's Northeast Passage sled hockey program is off to a great start this season. The program offers recreational and competitive instruction and opportunities for people to play the sport.
Sled hockey is a variation of ice hockey for people with lower extremity disabilities.
The game is nearly identical to ice hockey, except players sit on sleds attached to skate blades, and two shortened sticks are used for both propelling the sled and shooting the puck. Susan Rowe, a UNH occupational therapy student, has been chosen for this position. Homer is a former co-owner of the Portland Pirates ice hockey team, and owner of Shawnee Peak ski area in Maine. According to Jill Gravink, UNH assistant professor of recreation management and policy and director of Northeast Passage, the contributions will help take the program to the next level. While Northeast Passage, a program which provides sports and recreation opportunities for individuals with physical disabilities, officially became part of UNH's Department of Recreation Management and Policy this year, it is still responsible for raising most programming costs.