Hockey teams honor Fitchburg's Jake Thibeault with 'Hockey Day in the Burg' event

This Saturday at the Wallace Civic Center in Fitchburg will be 'Hockey Day in the Burg.'  The day will feature three hockey games benefitting Jake Thibeault, a teenage hockey player from Fitchburg who suffered severe spinal cord injuries during a game this past September. Thibeault has been paralyzed from the waist down since the accident.

The day will open with Fitchburg State hosting Westfield State at 3 p.m. Next up will be Milton Academy, where Thibeault is a senior, against The Pomfret School. Finally, Fitchburg High, Thibeault's former school, will take on Lunenburg in the final game of the evening.

Lunenburg coach Eric Short said it's an honor for the Lunenburg/Ayer-Shirley hockey program to be able to participate in this special event for Thibeault.

"He is a role model for all these student athletes," Short said. "I have had the pleasure of knowing and working with Jake on ice from his youth hockey days all the way into high school. No player works harder to reach personal goals and improve. LAS hockey is here for Jake and his family.  We are hoping our community will come and support this great event." 

Longtime Fitchburg State coach Dean Fuller also said it meant a lot to be able to play to help out Thibeault and his family.  

"Jake is a great kid," Fuller said. "To be able to play this hockey tripleheader to help with some of the cost is an honor." 

Thibeault began playing hockey as a 3-year-old.  He went on to skate for Twin City Youth Hockey and Fitchburg High — where he led the team in assists as a sophomore — before transferring to Milton Academy in the fall of 2019.

Current Littleton/Bromfield coach Kevin Lizotte and Fitchburg State alum knows Thibeault well, coaching and mentoring Thibeault throughout his career.  

"The 'Hockey Day in the Burg' fundraiser will be a great opportunity for the local hockey community to come together and support Jake and the Thibeault family," Lizotte said.  "The hockey community is truly special and their continued support for Jake has been incredible."

Lizotte also said Thibeault's willingness to fight through difficult situations is unparalleled.  

"When I think about Jake, one word comes to mind and that word is determined," Lizotte said. "Whether it's hockey, school, work, the gym or now rehabilitation Jake's work ethic and determination is unmatched. Every time I get to see Jake, I realize how fortunate my family is to have Jake and the Thibeault family a part of our lives."

Contact Chris Kyne at sports@telegram.com. Follow him on Twitter @tgsports.

Article Courtsey of Chris Kyne - Fitchburg State Assistant Ice Hockey Coach/Worcester Telegram