Hockey Player Maddox Puzzuole By Reese mallett

“I find hockey a really unique sport that you can't find anywhere else. There isn't really any other sport that you can say that you can put on skates and have something so fast-paced. I’ve been playing hockey for about ten years now. I started out playing in Kentucky when I was about six years old and moved through playing travel hockey. Whenever I was younger, I went to the Parks Mall and saw people playing there and I thought it looked really cool so I tried it out. It's been fun ever since. It's been a long journey, but now I am just playing high school hockey. Depending on how the next couple of seasons go, I plan to play in college, too" Maddox Puzzuole, 11, said.

"Before the game, usually I like to listen to music a little bit and get myself hyped up. I like to talk to myself a little bit to get myself in the zone and putting my faith in God to keep me protected. That usually helps me. One of the best parts of playing is being able to work with the team, figuring out ways to work and play with everyone and being close to your team. The fear of getting injured is definitely the worst part because if you get injured, you can be out for a certain amount of time and miss out on the game."

"Hockey has shown me that not everything will go your way all the time. With that comes perseverance and allowing yourself to know that there is room for improvement, so as long as you practice a little more, you can get better every day and everything can work out. It’s a little bit of a challenge to handle both hockey and school because I also golf so there are practices and tournaments, but it takes finding a balance between the two and finding what’s best for me to succeed in both. This is my environment because it’s a place where I can get away from anything, and it’s unique in the fact that there is no other place like it. Being able to be there and play hockey, it’s just everything I could ask for.”