Local high school student, Joe Arculeo of Massapequa Park, had the opportunity to lead his classmates in a game of wheelchair hockey against the New York Islanders on Wednesday. Feb. 10 at National Center for Disability Service's Beinecke Sports Center. To "even up" the match against the All-Stars, the Islanders also played in wheelchairs. Islanders players included Rich Pilon, Mike Watt, Robert Reichel, Scott Lachance and Felix Potvin.

"The annual wheelchair game has been a tradition that the entire Islander organization is extremely proud of," said Trevor Linden, New York Islanders Captain. "We all see it as a tremendous opportunity to share a special day with extraordinary and inspirational kids."

Edmund Cortez, president of the National Center for Disability Services, said the ties between the New York Islanders and the Henry Viscardi School are very strong. "The Islanders have been playing hockey with our kids since 1976, so this relationship is a long-standing and very special one," said Cortez. "The game is one of the highlights of the year for everyone here and it's really hard to tell who enjoys themselves more, our students or the Islanders."

Howie Rose acted as the play-by-play announcer for this special game. Guest referees were Sergi Nemchinov and Guillaume Gignac, former Canadian hockey player.

The Henry Viscardi High School All-Star Team included 19 students: Joey Arculeo, Gina Barbara, Carlos Blanco, Jennifer Brackenridge, Clinton Brown, William Capote, Sarah Cronin, David Curatolo, Brett Eisenberg, Elizabeth Janoff, Willie Melendez, Nicholas Petraglia, Nicholas Reichmann, Ray Rivera, Praveen Sebastian, Melissa Torres, Jonathan Vanasco, Michael Vinci and Teddy Walston.

The Henry Viscardi School, which is part of the National Center for Disability Services, educates children (grades pre-K to 12) with severe physical disabilities. The wheelchair floor hockey team, made up of high school students, competes in a co-ed intramural hockey league started 21 years ago. Rules are adopted so that all students with disabilities are able to compete on an equal basis.