UVM goalie on road back

One week after suffering a fractured cervical vertebrae, University of Vermont sophomore goaltender Matt Hanson of Peabody is home, able to walk, and anticipating a return to school by early next month.

Hanson was injured in a collision with a teammate in practice and underwent surgery. The Hanson family and the Vermont team has received an outpouring of support from the hockey community, including telephone calls to the Hansons from former players who have experienced traumatic neck injuries -- Travis Roy of Boston University and Allie Skelley of St. Lawrence.

"Hockey has taught me something very important," said Hanson, whose older brother, Bobby, played at BU and whose father, Robert, coached both boys as youth players and is now a managing partner with Mike Boyle Strength and Conditioning. "That things don't always go your way. And when they don't you don't hang your head. You hold your head high."

And so the former Deerfield Academy star is doing just that, while his teammates -- inspired by Hanson's No. 31 jersey hanging at their bench -- swept Clarkson (2-0) and St. Lawrence (3-1) last weekend on the road for the first time in seven seasons. St. Lawrence coach Joe Marsh visited the UVM locker room after his team's loss and addressed the Catamounts, saying they showed class while fighting through adversity and wished the team and Hanson well.

"It was very emotional," said UVM coach Kevin Sneddon, "and he is a class act of a coach, that's for sure. We fought through a lot and I think the guys have become a family."

Marsh said his team experienced similar emotional turmoil last season when Skelley was injured. "We had to play the next night. We went through it, too," he said, "so I think you have to give Vermont a tremendous amount of credit, and their coaches who kept the team focused."

Meanwhile, Hanson's close friend, goalie Travis Russell, was superb, making 64 saves in the two games and earning Inside College Hockey's National Player of the Week and ECAC Player of the Week honors. The native of Essex Junction, Vt., said Hanson was in the team's thoughts "between every whistle, during every play. When we called a timeout with 13 seconds left [vs. St. Lawrence], we just got together and said `This one's for Matty.' Coach Marsh told us he understood what we were going through and told us there is more to hockey than the score."

Hanson said the accident occurred when he dived for the puck and his head struck a teammate's thigh. He said he may have passed out briefly and that while he was lying on his stomach, he knew he had injured his neck.

"Our trainers [John Stawinski, Gregg Brueck, and Becca Lindsey], who have been with me every step of the way, did a great job," he said. "They removed my equipment while I was on the ice before I was taken to the hospital. Coming out of surgery, I don't remember much, but the day after that, my nurse asked me to try to sit up, which I did, and that's when I was able to move my arms and legs. My first goal before thinking about playing again, is to be able to do all the everyday functions."

When the team returned to Burlington, Vt., last Sunday, every player came to Hanson's bedside at Fletcher Allen Health Care, where they presented him with the game pucks. There were also calls from Marsh and BU coach Jack Parker, and a visit from an old friend of the Hansons, Ray Parent, who drove from Quebec.

"We knew Ray from when our boys played in PeeWee tournaments in Quebec City," said Matt's father. "Friends, family, coaches, players, old teammates of Matt's -- they've all been there for us."

Skelley, who was injured last season -- and was operated on by Hanson's surgeon, Robert Monsey, -- had a brief telephone conversation with Hanson. Skelley, a defenseman and assistant captain, was injured Dec. 13, 2002, when he was hit from behind in a home game against Lake Superior State. He also sustained a fractured vertebrae and underwent surgery in Burlington before going home to Wolfeboro, N.H. He has completely recovered and is taking courses at St. Lawrence.

Hanson said, "I'm still weak, particularly on my left side, but I can move my arms and legs and have feeling in them and with a little help, I can also get up and down stairs. Allie told me that's what he went through, but that over time his strength came back. I'm not supposed to do any rehab for about six weeks, but I hope to start doing some school work on the computer soon and get back to campus in a couple of weeks."

Roy, who was injured in his first game for BU Oct. 20, 1995, and is quadriplegic, said he called the Hansons to offer support, either personally or through the medical community.

"I knew Matt's brother Bobby pretty well," said Roy, who keeps close to hockey these days as both a BU fan and as television analyst for University of Maine games at Portland's Channel 8. "I was a senior at Tabor Academy when Bobby was a junior and I preceded him at BU. Bobby plays the role of Dave Silk in the movie `Miracle.' I've met Matt a couple of times. I got the news last Saturday and called Jack [Parker] and Matt, who comes from a great family."

Robert Hanson said there were complications that included a bleeding artery and that the 48 hours after surgery were crucial. Then, last Sunday, UVM team doctor Jon Porter announced that Hanson's condition was stable and that he had normal neurological function.

Two days later, Hanson was released from the hospital.

"When the team came by, that was very emotional, and then on Monday, when Matt walked toward us with his physical therapist, there wasn't a dry eye in the house," said the elder Hanson. "My feeling now is of relief and gratitude. It's still going to be a long road for our son, but he's getting better." . . .
When Williams College defeated Wesleyan on the road Feb. 14, it marked Ephs coach Bill Kangas's 200th victory at the school (in his 15th season) and a Little Three title for his team. Williams (11-7-3) hosts top-ranked Norwich tomorrow night and St. Michael's Saturday afternoon to close out the regular season. Norwich has quite a 1-2 punch in goal: Mike Boudreau, a junior from Weymouth, had 38 saves in his team's 3-1 victory over New England College last Saturday. His save percentage of .934 leads the ECAC East. Classmate Kevin Schieve is 8-0-0, with a league-best 1.68 goals against average. Schieve's last start was a 2-0 blanking of Saint Anselm . . . Harvard goaltender Dov Grumet-Morris is 69 saves and 238 minutes shy of moving into the school's top-five list in each category . . . Stonehill senior forward Will O'Connell of Quincy became the 10th player in school history to reach 100 career points when he had a goal and assist in a 3-1 win against Western New England . . . Next up for No. 1 Boston College, which is 23-3-4 and has an 11-game unbeaten streak (10-0-1), is a home-and-home series this weekend vs. UMass-Lowell.