Suburban Teens Part of First National Deaf Ice Hockey Team

CHICAGO, IL - Two teens made history when they participated in the World Deaf Ice Hockey Championships in recent weeks as part of the first U.S. women's deaf team. Hannah Garcia of Naperville and Madison Gagliano of Elgin were among 17 women chosen from 10 different states to compete on the 2017 U.S. National Women’s Deaf Ice Hockey team. The team was chosen from players who attended the American Hearing Impaired Hockey Association tryout this March in Minneapolis, MN.

The U.S. team took on Canada -- the only teams to complete in the inaugural championship games -- during the historic event on April 22 and 23 in Amherst, NY. Canada won both games but the experience, local players said, made the games well worth their while. Madison "Maddie" Gagliano told the Daily Herald being the first to compete on the U.S. team was unforgettable.

"No one has ever experienced that," Maddie said. "It was cool to be the first one to put on that jersey."

Maddie plays for Chicago Mission 14U and Hannah competes as part of the Sabre Girls Hockey 19U team. In order to qualify for the national team, athletes had to meet a hearing loss requirement of at least 55 decibels in their "better ear," according to a news release from the American Hearing Impaired Hockey Association. To make sure all athletes were competing on the same level, no one was allowed to wear hearing aids or cochlear implants during competition.

This can make for a chaotic environment.

Small lights are installed around the rink and they are activated when a penalty or timeout has been called, according to the Daily Herald. When the ref blows the whistle, the lights turn on and flash.

"It's always chaotic," Hannah, 16, told the Daily Herald.

But playing together with deaf players is also a special experience for the teens. The girls typically play with others who have full hearing.

"You can show you're deaf instead of hiding it," Maddie, 13, said.