FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

October 17 2014

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Video Feature Courtesy of Local 22 News

COLCHESTER, Vt. - The Saint Michael's College men's ice hockey team made its latest roster addition on Thursday through its partnership with Team IMPACT, as 17-year-old Colchester High School senior Patrick Bushey signed a contract to join the program as its director of hockey operations during his Draft Day press conference in the Tarrant Recreation Center's Hall of Fame Room.

Team IMPACT is a non‐profit organization that improves the quality of life for children facing chronic or life-threatening illness through the power of team. 

"Every so often there comes along a person that can change a program for the better," said third-year head coach Damian DiGiulian, whose program joins the baseball, men's basketball and field hockey teams as being involved with Team IMPACT.

"We feel Patrick is that person. We are excited and honored to have Patrick in our family, and we know we will all be better having him around us on a day-to-day, game-to-game basis. I would like to thank Team IMPACT, Patrick's mom and dad, and most importantly Patrick for allowing us to have such a great person join us this season and beyond."

Bushey, who is also a team manager for the varsity baseball and football programs at Colchester High School, counts ice hockey as his favorite sport, and he will be at games and team functions through his role with the program. A fan of former Boston Bruin and University of Vermont Catamount Tim Thomas, Bushey's dream is to attend a Bruins game.

During the ceremony, DiGiulian and senior AJ Pieprzak welcomed Bushey to the program before a packed Hall of Fame Room, which counted coaches, administrators and student-athletes in attendance, before Bushey signed a contract and was presented with a throwback No. 27 Purple Knight jersey and hat.

Following the conference, Bushey was greeted in the lobby by members of the College's men's cross country, men's golf, men's and women's ice hockey, men's and women's lacrosse, Nordic skiing, softball, women's tennis and women's volleyball teams.

Team IMPACT is a New England-based non‐profit organization serving children who are facing life‐threatening or chronic illnesses by creating unparalleled team-based support systems. Core to its model is leveraging the power of teamwork by matching up these courageous kids with college athletic teams. 

For more information about Team IMPACT, visit http://www.goteamimpact.org.

The Northeast-10 Conference is an association of 15 NCAA Division II colleges and universities located in New England and New York that is committed to supporting balanced academic and athletic opportunities for more than 6,000 student-athletes.

Each year, 4,000 of those student-athletes compete in Conference championships in 23 sports, making the NE-10 the largest DII conference in the country in terms of sports sponsorship. Leading the way in the classroom, on the field and within the community, the Northeast-10 is proud of its comprehensive program and the experience it provides student-athletes.

Content for this release provided by Saint Michael's College

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