RICHFIELD, Minn. — Right after the singing of the national anthem ahead of Friday's game versus Highland Park, Holy Angels head hockey coach, Patrick Griswold, pulled senior caption, Mason Garcia, aside and told him he'd get to shoot the puck one last time.
Back in November, during a pregame scrimmage, Garcia suffered a season-ending head injury after slamming into the boards. The injury left him temporarily unable to use his arms and legs. After a stint in the hospital, he was released three days early, but could not return to the ice.
Griswold decided he wanted Garcia to have one last chance to prove he had truly looked adversity in the face and sent the senior out one last time.
Garcia said there was only one way to truly describe how full circle the surprise moment was.
"It's a miracle. Every single step, every single milestone that has come along, from the night I got hurt, there was a hope, but I didn't know what was going to happen. To, kind of, know at the end of the day, I'm lucky to be up. I'm lucky to be walking around moving right now. So, not only to be able to have that and be out on the ice, it means more than the world."
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