Point Boro Hockey's DePalma Honored as N.J. Hero for Brick Challenger Program
Governor's wife, Mary Pat Christie, praises the Brick challenger program, also coached by DePalma
The players worked pucks along the ice, dueling three-on-three in a small game across the width of the rink, oblivious to the family members taking photos from the stands above. At the far end of the rink, a coach stopped play for a moment to explain something to the players, who were working on an offensive drill. Then quickly, they returned to playing. And while on the surface it might look like any other youth sports league, for players like Ryan Herrington and Garrett DeTata, the Brick Stars Challenger Hockey program is far more than just a hockey program; it’s a chance to be like other kids. “He looks forward to it,” Michael DeTata of Brick said of Garrett, 8, who has Asperger’s syndrome, which is part of the autism disorder spectrum…
