Jeremy scores twice in win over Kings

Source: TPWHL Facebook page

January 24, 2015 – Lake Raiders vs. Kings (Boxscore)

Jeremy scores twice in 2 – 1 comeback victory over the Kings.

In the first period, David Donnelly gave the Kings the opening lead at 8:15 with his 16th goal of the season, assisted by Sharmin Alam who got her 15th point. Leo Xu was strong in net keeping the Lake Raiders off the scoreboard.

In the second period, it continued to be a defensive battle where the Lake Raiders were able to answer back with a goal from Jeremy at 3:48 to tie the game at 1 – 1, assisted by Eriin.

In the third period, the Lake Raiders broke the deadlock at 5:15 to give them an important 2 – 1 lead on Jeremy's 40th goal of the season. The Kings would give it all they got but were unable to find on equalizing goal. The win gave the Lake Raiders 14 points which was good for a second place tie in the race to the playoffs, while the Kings are five points back of the final playoff spot.

Mohit Shines in lost to Saints

Source: TPWHL Facebook page

January 24, 2015 – Saints vs. Bulldogs (Boxscore)

Mohit Sharma shines in a close 3 – 1 lost to the Saints.

In the first period, the Bulldogs would strike first at 5:27 on a goal from Meghan Hines, her 7th of the season assisted by Scott Allen for the 1 – 0 lead. However the Saints would have an answer 3 minutes later at 8:55 on Brandy Edwards 36th goal of the season, assisted by Don. Their offense continued at 10:01 giving them their first lead of the game 2 – 1 on a goal from Don, assisted by Brandy Edwards.

In the second period, it continued to be a tightly contested game with both teams trading chances. The Saints would score the only goal of the frame at 10:43 on Don's 6th of the season for a 3 – 1 lead, assisted by Braden Martz.

In the third period, there was no score with the Saints getting tons of great chances, but the amazing goaltending from Mohit Sharma was able to stop them and keep his team the Bulldogs in the game. With the win the Saints would stay three points clear in first place, and the Bulldogs are tied for second place with 14 points. There are only eight games remaining in the regular season with four of six teams making the playoffs.

Jerry's Hattrick leads Bulldogs over Kings

Source: TPWHL Facebook page

January 17, 2015 – Bulldogs vs. Kings (Boxscore)

Jerry scores three goals in a 4 – 1 victory over the Kings.

In the first period, Sharmin Alam gave the Kings a quick start just one minute into the game for a 1 – 0 lead. Jerry Mariano would answer back for the Bulldogs at 11:49 to tie the game at 1, assisted by Christine Pacheco.

In the second period, the Bulldogs would start to take control of the game with Jerry Mariano scoring his second goal for a 2 – 1 lead at 2:09. They would extend the lead at 10:49 on Jerry's Hattrick goal that just beat Kings goalie Leo Xu, after receiving a great pass from the corner by Christine Pacheco.

In the third period, the Kings gave it their all to try and get another one on the board, but Meghan Hines would seal the win for the Bulldogs with her goal at 6:25 assisted by Jerry Mariano.

Saints outscores Wolves

Source: TPWHL Facebook page

January 17, 2015 – Saints vs. Wolves (Boxscore)

Saints win 9 – 7 in a high-scoring game versus the Wolves.

In the first period, Don opened the scoring for the Saints at 4:06 to give them a 1 – 0 lead. Saverio Romano would answer right back for the Wolves at 5:30 to tie the game at 1, on an amazing long shot. The Wolves had a few close chances but was turned aside by Saints goalie Tracey Taylor. Don would give the Saints their second lead 2 – 1 at the 10 minute mark, and added another one at 13:58 from a great pass by Brandy Edwards which stretched out the Wolves goalie Torrance Ho.

In the second period, the Wolves would cut the lead to 3 – 2 at 1:38 on a nice goal from Saverio Romano who deked out the Saints defense. The Saints once again extended the lead to 5 – 2 on goals from Don and Brandy Edwards at 4:37 and 12:59. They nearly scored another goal but goalie Torrance Ho made a couple of excellent saves.

In the third period, the Wolves would outscore the Saints 5 – 4. With Saverio Romano scoring four goals and one assist, Matt Vocino with an incredible goal, and Mitchell Stark with an assist for the Wolves. For the Saints, Brandy Edwards would score all four goals with Braden Martz providing two assists. However the comeback would fall short, as the Saints hung on for the win to stay in first place.

Michigan teenager helps brother raise awareness on Cerebral Palsy

Source: The Cerebral Palsy Swagger Facebook page

This is an amazing story about Hunter Gandee from Michigan who helped his 8-year-old brother Braden raise awareness on Cerebral Palsy by carrying him on a 40 mile walk in June 2014. Braden seems like a spirited young boy who is willing to try his hardest at everything including sledge hockey and wrestling, even though he has a disability.

“But if you put your mind to it and try hard enough, maybe actually you can do it” - Braden Gandee

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10153072083763689

You can follow the brothers on their Facebook page The Cerebral Palsy Swagger.

2014 Year in Review, Looking forward to 2015 and the ParaPan Games

Wow, I can't believe another year has come and gone! Our blogging team has grown to 7 people, which includes myself, Donald, Neil, and new members Alexis, Julie, Nicole, and RV. Thanks to the team we have written 157 articles (including our Sports, Technology, Travel, and Work blogs) and there has been 19,500 more page views than last year.

Here are our reflections of 2014 successes:

• Continued success with TPWHL Game summaries.
• New success with the Chair Yoga bi–weekly segment by Julie.
• Most viewed SportsEnables.Me article is the Electric Hockey Demo at Variety Village.
• Most viewed TechnologyEnables.Me articles are the Assistive Technology Holiday Gift Guide and The Wheelmap app will take you places.
• Most viewed TravelEnables.Me article is the Rail Trip to Ottawa; and WorkEnables.Me article is The Ontario Direct Funding Program article from our guest writer Connie.

Here are some of our favorite articles:

1. Road trip to the USA! Accessibility travel!
2. The 2014 PowerHockey Cup.
3. The always enjoyable articles written by Donald Barrie, which includes the 2014 Sochi Paralympics coverage.
4. VAT (Voter Assist Terminal) article from TechnologyEnables.Me.
5. Windreach Farm and My Adventure in Whitehorse article from TravelEnables.Me.

In 2015 we are looking forward to:

• Writing about the 2015 ParaPan Games in Toronto, Ontario happening between August 7th to the 15th!
• Covering a wide variety of stories, experiences and events related to accessibility.
• Continue to grow our team of writers.

I would like to wish all of you a healthy and successful 2015!

Isaac leads Kings over Wolves

Created by Neil

December 20, 2014 – Kings vs. Wolves (Boxscore)

The Kings doubled up the Wolves 6 – 3 avenging an earlier defeat in the season.

In the first period, Saverio Romano gave the Wolves an early 1 – 0 lead. The Kings would answer back at 8:45 on a goal from Isaac to tie the game. However two minutes later at 10:45 the Wolves would take the lead again 2 – 1 on a beautiful shot from Saverio Romano assisted by Mitchell Stark.The Kings Isaac once again tied the game in the dying seconds to end the frame.

In the second period, the Kings took their first lead of the game 3 – 2 on a goal from substitute player Jeremy who was left in front of the Wolves net for the easy tap in, after a deflection off a defenseman. Before the end of the frame the Wolves would tie the game at 3 from Saverio Romano's hat trick goal assisted by Mitchell Stark.

In the third period, Jeremy deked out the Wolves defense and scored on the backhand to give the Kings a 4 – 3 lead. Four minutes later he would once again score on a high looping shot for a two-goal 8dvantage. Isaac rounded out the scoring with his hat trick goal. The Kings goalie Leo Xu was great in helping his team to close out the game, and the defense played solid as well.

The TPWHL season will resume in the new year on January 17.

Roberto makes debut in hard-fought battle against Bulldogs

Created by Neil

December 13, 2014 – Bulldogs vs. Mustangs (Boxscore)

Both teams battled hard in a 4 – 2 win for the Bulldogs.

In the first period, Jerry Mariano would score twice to help give the Bulldogs a 2 – 0 lead. It was Jerry's 22nd goal of the season.

In the second period, it was scoreless with a strong effort by both goalies Brad Gordon and Mohit Sharma keeping the score close.

In the third period, Mustangs rookie Roberto Monteiro who was playing his first ever PowerHockey game, scored his first goal to cut the lead to 2 – 1 assisted by Nicole Neeson at 2:25. However at 5:05 the Bulldogs would score twice in a minute to take a 4 – 1 lead, thanks to Christine Pacheco's second goal of the season and Monique Lawrence's first goal assisted by Jerry Mariano. The Mustangs would continue fighting hard with Nicole Neeson's 10th goal of the season assisted by Roberto Monteiro with five minutes remaining, but were unable to get another one pass the Bulldogs goalie.

Saints snaps the Kings three-game winning streak

Created by Neil

December 13, 2014 – Saints vs. Kings (Boxscore)

The Saints win 4 – 3 snapping the Kings three-game winning streak.

In the first period, it was all Saints where Brandy Edwards scored three goals to help her team lead 3 – 0.

In the second period, the Saints would extend the lead to 4 – 0 at 7:15 on a goal from substitute player Roberto Monteiro assisted by Brandy Edwards. However starting 13 seconds later the Kings picked up their game and scored 3 straight goals to cut the lead to 4 – 3. Two of the goals were scored by Isaac, Sharmin Alam would add a goal and an assist, and David Donnelly contributed with three assists.

In the third period, the Kings had a lot of great chances to tie the game including on the power-play with Saints Brandy Edwards in the penalty box for dangerous driving at 9:50. But the Kings was turned aside by Tracey Taylor who had a solid effort in net, and also great defensive plays from the team to preserve the win.

Wolves use third period come back in win

Created by Neil

December 6, 2014 – Wolves vs. Bulldogs (Boxscore)

The Wolves comes back in the third to win 7 – 5 over the Bulldogs.

In the first period, the Wolves got off to an early start scoring two goals from Saverio Romano at 2:30 and 7:15 for a 2 – 0 lead. The Bulldogs would answer at 9:02 with Meghan Hines scoring a beauty of a goal deking out Wolves goalie Torrance Ho to cut the lead in half, assisted by Christine Pacheco.

In the second period, the Wolves would immediately regain their two-goal lead 40 seconds into the period on a sweet goal from Saverio Romano who made some nice moves around the Bulldogs players, assisted by Matt Vocino. However the Bulldogs would score 3 unanswered goals starting at 7:15 to take their first lead of the game 4 – 3. All three goals were scored by Jerry Mariano with assists from Christine Pacheco and Meghan Hines.

In the third period, the Wolves at 6:55 would tie the game at 4 – 4 on a goal from Saverio Romano assisted by Matt Vocino. With five minutes left in an exciting game, the Wolves would break the tie with Saverio Romano scoring three straight goals to lead 7 – 4. Jerry Mariano scored the lone goal for the Bulldogs assisted by Meghan Hines. But the Wolves would hang on for their fourth straight win with great defense in the final two minutes, especially from Matthew Costa.

Wolves win wild game versus Mustangs

Created by Neil

November 29, 2014 – Wolves vs. Mustangs (Boxscore)

The Wolves win a high scoring game versus the Mustangs.

In the first period, the Mustangs had a great start having 3 two goal leads with Mike Iacovone scoring 2 goals and one assist, and Nicole Neeson scoring two as well. However Saverio Romano answered each time for the Wolves to trail 4 – 3 in the game.

In the second period, the Wolves took their game up a notch to outscore the Mustangs 4 – 1 for a 7 – 5 lead. Saverio Romano would score 3 more goals with one assist, Mitchell Stark added a goal, and Matt Vocino with an assist. Nicole Neeson scored the lone goal for the Mustangs.

In the third period, there was no quit in the Mustangs where they would score 2 goals in the first five minutes to tie the game at 7 – 7 with a goal and assist from Nicole Neeson, and a goal from Mike Iacovone. But once again the Wolves had an answer with the game-winning goal from Mitchell Stark assisted by Matt Vocino and Saverio Romano, who also added another goal in a crazy 9 – 7 game.

Saints edge Bulldogs in close game

Created by Neil

November 29, 2014 – Saints vs. Bulldogs (Boxscore)

Both teams were looking to rebound from tough losses.

In the first period, it was scoreless where both teams had tons of great chances but were unable to score. The Bulldogs goalie Mohit Sharma made a few incredible saves to keep the score at zero's.

In the second period, the Bulldogs nearly scored but was turned aside by Saints goalie Tracey Taylor. The Saints would end up breaking the tie at the nine minute mark scoring two goals 40 seconds apart to lead 2 – 0. The goals were scored by Brandy Edwards and Braden Martz.

In the third period, the Bulldogs were looking to score to get back into the game and they would get just that five minutes in, scored by Jerry Mariano assisted by Christine Pacheco. The goal would give them life where they pressured the Saints and nearly tied the game, but the Saints weathered the storm and added a late goal from Brandy Edwards to win 3 – 1.

Wolves shutout Saints with complete team effort

November 22, 2014 – Wolves vs. Saints (Boxscore)

The Wolves played a complete team game and shutout the Saints 5 – 0, avenging an opening day 7 – 2 loss to the same team.

In the first period, it was a tight battle with both teams trading chances to score. The Wolves would end up scoring first on a goal from Saverio Romano at 10:15 for the 1 – 0 lead.

In the second period, the Wolves would pick up their game and score 2 goals both by Saverio Romano for the 3 – 0 lead. They would keep the 3 goal lead with solid defensive play from Krista Bath, Matthew Costa, and Gabe.

In the third period, the Wolves would continue their offensive output with another two goals from Saverio Romano, with the help from forwards Matt Vocino, James Lawton, and newly acquired Mitchell Stark. The Saints led by Brandy Edwards had some great chances, but were unable to capitalize. The Wolves goalie Torrance Ho was sharp in net for his first shutout of the season.

New look Kings gets first win of season

November 22, 2014 – Kings vs. Bulldogs (Boxscore)

The new look Kings won their first game of the season 6 – 2, breaking the Bulldogs winning streak.

In the first period, Jerry Mariano got the Bulldogs off to an early lead, assisted by Christine Pacheco who worked hard in front of the Kings net. However Isaac would answer for the Kings two minutes later to tie the game at one goal a piece. The goal was assisted by newly acquired David Donnelly who they got in a trade.

In the second period, the Kings started taking control of the game scoring two goals to take a 3 – 1 lead. David Donnelly would score his first goal as a king, and also assist on Sharmin Alam's goal.

In the third period, the Kings want continue their dominance with three more goals. Two were scored by Sharmin Alam assisted by Isaac, and David Donnelly would add one more. Jerry Mariano would score another for the Bulldogs assisted by Meghan Hines, but it would be too little too late.

Wolves get by a scrappy Kings team

Created by Neil

November 15, 2014 – Wolves vs. Kings (Boxscore)

In a game where both teams were hungry for a win, the Wolves would come out with a 6 – 4 score against the Kings.

In the first period, the Wolves came out taking charge with tons of traffic in front of the Kings net but they would weather the storm. Until the eight minute mark where Matt Vocino would direct the Saverio Romano shot for his first goal of the season for the 1 – 0 Wolves lead. They would continue their offensive outburst with three goals from Saverio Romano including one on the power-play, and an assist from Gabe for the 4 – 0 lead after one period.

In the second period, it would be a different story for the Kings who answered with three goals of their own to cut the lead to 4 – 3. Two were scored by substitute player David Donnelly, and one from rookie Elyas Abdullah who scored his first career TPWHL goal when he banked a shot off the back of the Wolves goalie Torrance Ho and into the net. Isaac would add an assist on one of the goals.

In the third period, it would be end to end action with the Wolves Saverio Romano scoring to extend the lead to 5 – 3 for his team at 5:13. However David Donnelly would once again help the Kings pull within one five minutes later, roofing a shot under the crossbar for an exciting ending. The Wolves would eventually score a goal from Saverio Romano assisted by Matt Vocino late in the game to seal the victory.

Lake Raiders Win a back-and-forth Game

 Created by Neil

November 8, 2014 – Lake Raiders vs. Wolves (Boxscore)

In a game with tons of momentum changes, the Lake Raiders would come out with the 8 – 5 victory.

In the first period, the Wolves would get off to a good start in the first 10 minutes with two goals from Saverio Romano for the 2 – 0 lead. However the Lake Raiders would battle back late with two great goals from Jeremy, whose shots just beat the goalie Torrance Ho under the chin and another off the post and in to tie the game at two.

In the second period, the Wolvcs would get back their two-goal lead with two more goals from Saverio Romano, both assisted by Matt  to take a 4 – 2 lead.

In the third period, the Lake Raiders would score 2 goals with one on a power-play and another to tie the game at four. Both scored by Jeremy and one assist from Sean. But that would be short-lived as Saverio Romano would give the Wolves a 5 – 4 lead, assisted by Matt. However the Lake Raiders would score 4 unanswered goals to win the game including Sean's first goal of the season and 3 more from Jeremy.

Dwayne Hunter was a substitute goalie for the Lake Raiders.

Kings come back falls short in Saints Win

 Created by Neil

November 8, 2014 – Saints vs. Kings (Boxscore)

In a close game, the Kings nearly comes back in a 3 – 2 loss to the Saints.

In the first, Braden Martz would score a lone goal for the Saints to lead 1 – 0 on his first goal of the season.

In the second, Brandy would help the Saints extend the lead to 3 – 0 with two goals, assisted by Matthew Cockburn and Braden Martz.

In the third, there was no quit in the Kings where they would start a comeback at 7:49 on a goal from Sharmin Alam, who was making her season debut. They would add another to make the game 3 – 2 at 12:10 on a tip in goal from Bill Rankin, assisted by Sharmin Alam. But that would be as close that they would get on a great effort.

Goalies Leo Xu and Tracey Taylor was solid in net as always.

Wolves get first Win of season

Created by Neil

October 25, 2014 – Wolves vs. Mustangs (Boxscore)

In a game where two teams were looking for their first win of the season, the Wolves would come out on top 6 – 4 over the Mustangs.

In the first period, the Wolves would open the scoring with two goals from Saverio Romano for a 2 – 0 lead. However the Mustangs would answer with two goals in the second half, one from Mike Iacovone who just got his backhand shot past the goalie and a late goal from Nicole Neeson assisted by Sergio Correia to tie the game at two.

In the second period, the Wolves Saverio Romano would quickly score 2 more goals two minutes apart to help regain the lead at 4 – 2. The Mustangs would answer once again with a power-play goal from Nicole Neeson, assisted from a great passing play from Mike Iacovone. But once again the Wolves would get back their two-goal lead with a late goal at 12:55 from Saverio Romano, assisted by Matt Vocino going into the third.

In the third period, both teams would exchange goals with Mike Iacovone's 2nd and Saverio Romano's 6th respectively late in the game. Earlier in the period the Wolves goalie Torrance Ho made a great save off his forehead on the penalty kill.

Mustangs Istok got his first point and Wolves Gabe was strong in his first game of the season.

Bulldogs comes back to beat Saints

Created by Neil

October 25, 2014 – Bulldogs vs. Saints (Boxscore)

In a game where both teams were looking to go 2 – 0 to start the season, the Bulldogs would come back to win 5 – 3 over the Saints in an exciting finish.

In the first period, the Saints would get off to a fast start one minute into the game to lead 1 – 0 on a goal from Brandy Edwards assisted by Don Deschamps. Jerry Mariano would even the game at one for the Bulldogs at 13:40. But the Saints would retake the lead to go up 2 – 1 on another goal from Brandy Edwards at the end of the period.

In the second period, the Bulldogs would tie the game early in the period on Jerry's second goal assisted by David Donnelly. David Donnelly would give his team their first lead of the game at 3 – 2 on his first goal of the season, assisted by Meghan Hines in a dominating period.

In the third period, it was truly exciting where the Saints would tie the game at three's on Brandy Edwards hat trick goal at 6:24. It was looking like the game would end up being a tie with two minutes remaining. However David Donnelly would score 2 goals 12 seconds apart for the hat trick to lead his team to victory.

It was Greg Contaxis and David Donnelly's first game of the season.

Accessible Road Trip to the USA: Torrance's Reflections

It has been a month since we went on our amazing vacation, going through 12 cities, 11 states, & 2 countries. I had a lot of fun travelling with my family.

Even with all the long hours of driving & hectic travel from one city to the next in just two weeks. I am just very thankful to my brother Terrence for wanting to take me on this trip & helping me cross off going on a road trip and cruise on my bucket list. I did my best to keep him awake during the drive and it was a great experience to be able to sit in the front passenger side of the MV1 that we rented.

I am also thankful to have my mom & her boyfriend on this trip, even though it was hard on them because I had trouble sleeping waking up 3 to 5 times a night on this trip. Maybe next time we need to bring a attendant with us.

Going on this trip I discovered that I still have good stamina and my bottom did not get sore even with all the long hours of sitting. I also may have discovered my fear of heights when we were on Mount Washington looking out at Pittsburgh.

Before the trip I was worried about the hoyer lift that we rented from shoppers home health would not be able to go under the hotel beds.

But it was reassuring to know that most of the wheelchair accessible rooms that we went to were able to accommodate the lift. As for the hotel rooms that were least accommodating, we were able to find a way to tip the lift towards the bed. I was safely lowered into the bed with one person holding the lift and another person making sure I get on the bed properly. Not recommended if only one person helping you.

I truly enjoyed experiencing new places, food, and going on a cruise for the first time. It will be an experience that I will never forget.

Read our previous entries:

Day 0

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5

Day 6 - 8 - On Disney Magic

Day 7 & 8 - In the Bahamas
Day 9 & 10
Day 12
Day 13
Day 14
Terrence's Reflections