Chace, an energetic first-time sled hockey Paralympian, has a lifetime of hockey experience. On the ice since the tender age of three, the talented forward had high aspirations and was expected to be a Division 1-level college hockey player. The young player's hopes were nearly lost when a devastating hit during a Junior Monarchs exhibition game in 2002 broke his back and cost him much of the use of his legs.

For Chace, who says his favorite thing about hockey is "the feeling of flying around the ice," the accident was heartbreaking, but not devastating. Recovery was not going to be easy, but Chace never gave up the dream of one day being back on the ice, doing what he deems his first love - playing hockey.

The vibrant 16-year-old didn't let his injury hold him back for long. At the time of the accident, Chace's sister was working with a program at the University of New Hampshire, called Northeast Passage. Northeast Passage develops, delivers and evaluates innovative barrier-free recreation and health promotion programs for disabled athletes. It was here that Chace first learned about hockey of a different sort: sled hockey.

"I gave it a shot," said Chace. "And at first my back was killing me so it didn't really look safe for me to do it. So I stopped for another year, and then I picked it up about a year and a half ago."

After a rough start, the now 19-year-old forward quickly fell for the sport and got back to the top of his game. Reintroducing his friends and family to the ice in a new way has been one of the highlights of his sled hockey career.

"In Boston, a ton of my friends and family came down (to watch me play) and they absolutely loved it," Chace said. "I had a couple goals. And to play in front of them, their first time being introduced to the sport, it was good to see that people really enjoy watching sled hockey."

A true competitor, Chace says the satisfaction of winning is his favorite part of competing. "The satisfaction comes from the hard work," he said. "You know that you put everything into the game and everything into every shift, and if you win, the happiness that comes along with it after. It's all the good stuff."

That attitude will likely help him this month in Torino. Though he is still a relative rookie to sled hockey, in 2005 Chace was named as a member of the U.S. Paralympic Sled Hockey National Team. The Paralympics are a division of the United States Olympic Committee that holds Games for the physically disabled in conjunction with pertinent National Governing Bodies and other partner organizations. Paralympic Winter Games sports include sled hockey, wheelchair curling, nordic skiing and alpine skiing.

"Obviously I hope it all works out perfectly," Chace said about the 2006 Paralympic Winter Games. "We win and all the little things...it would just be a dream come true. I just hope everything goes smoothly and we can bring home a medal."

The U.S. Paralympic Sled Hockey Team as a whole is unique in many ways. Unlike the U.S. Olympic stand-up hockey team, the Paralympic squad varies greatly in age and experience. The close-knit men range in age from 16 to 50.

"The veterans have that experience and that background knowledge," Chace said. "If you have to ask them a question about anything or if you're nervous going into Torino, you can just call one of them up and just talk to them about it. I think its good to have the younger guys like myself have that drive and motivation to want to win their first gold medal... it's a combination of knowledge, age and youth, and a lot of energy. So it meshes pretty well."

In February, USA Sled Hockey won their last world championship before the Torino Games. Chace and the rest of the team will be doing their best to represent America and a world of disabled athletes in Torino. Just don't call Taylor Chace a role model.

"I don't see myself as a role model," Chace said. "[I am] just someone to look at as wanting to represent their country as best as they can, and someone who has really worked hard in athletics. I didn't really give up on sports when I got hurt, I think it's just to have fun with what you're doing and enjoy playing sports."

With Chace's tough, competitive spirit and uplifting demeanor, you'll likely see him playing sled hockey for a long time, regardless of whether or not the team brings home the gold.

"Next year I'll be in school full time (at University of New Hampshire) and all that, so I have to get that started," Chace said. "But I'd definitely like to stick with sled hockey. Who knows where it will take me...I love being a part of the team and everything about it is just great."

For more information, contact Kathryn Mokrycki at kathryn.mokrycki@usoc.org or (719) 866-2221 or Russell Carlton at russell.carlton@usoc.org or (719) 866-3503. This release is also available on the USOC's public website (www.usolympicteam.com) and media-specific website (www.usocpressbox.org).