DETROIT, Oct. 9 (UPI) -- A Detroit prep hockey player was paralyzed from the wait down after a crash into the boards though school officials said he was in good spirits.
Matt Sorisho, 17, was the leading scorer on a team in the Michigan Development Hockey League when a freak play happened. His school's athletic director, Aaron Babicz, who wasn't at the game, said Sorisho was skating at full speed toward the opposition net during an all-star game Friday when he took a hit from an opposing defenseman that spun him around and sent him crashing into the end boards, back first.
The collision severely injured Sorisho's spinal cord and shattered a lumbar vertebra, located between the rib cage and pelvis. Sorisho can't move his legs as a result, the Detroit Free Press reported Wednesday.
Despite the devastating injury, Babicz said Tuesday Sorisho remained upbeat. He got a call from Detroit Red Wings Coach Mike Babcock offering him some words of encouragement.
"There are good and bad times. There are times when his spirits are great," Babicz said. "He looks good. He's fully functional from the waist up. His attitude is good, but there are always going to be some down times where he really starts to think about the situation he's in. It gets to him.
