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BY DANIELLE BERNSTEIN ON Towson University Club Team Graduates From Special Hockey To A Role With ASHA Player CAMPUS A ndrew Freidman and Drew Zucker pulled up to the freshmen dorms at Towson University in Baltimore on an early September morn- ing to pick up their new teammate, Adam Rothstein, for the first hockey practice of the season. Half-asleep and not quite ready for a season of 6 a.m. wake-up calls, the two Towson juniors weren't fully prepared for what Rothstein was about to bring, not only to their daily carpool, but to a team in need of a boost in morale. "He came to the door with the biggest smile on his face, just like he always does," Zucker recalls. "He just has so much fun, and you can tell. He Adam Rothstein's teammates on the Towson University club team have been more than willing to help the freshman make the transition to college life, both on and off the ice. just wants to learn and be out there all the time skating." Perhaps Rothstein's unbridled enthu- siasm stems from the fact that not many people thought he'd be skating with a college hockey team when he first put on skates seven years ago. In second grade, Rothstein was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome, a developmental disorder on the Autism spectrum that affects a person's ability to communicate effectively. People with Asperger's struggle to understand social cues and body language and exhibit socially awkward tendencies. Rothstein's parents got Adam involved with various social skills groups and even tried a baseball team, but nothing stuck until Adam approached his dad about playing hockey. Rothstein's father, Andy, after doing some research and making some phone calls, took Adam to his first practice with the Montgomery Cheetahs, based near their home just north of Washington D.C. "I had no idea if he was going to take to it, but the coaches took him out and showed him how to skate," says Andy Rothstein. "By the third week, he was skat- ing on his own and he wanted to stay." The Cheetahs are part of the American Special Hockey Association, an all-volun- teer-based organization with programs in more than 30 cities catering to approxi- mately 2,000 athletes nationwide. It pro- vided Rothstein and other kids with vary- ing developmental disorders an opportuni- ty to play hockey in a safe and comfortable learning environment. 26 NOVEMBER.2012 USAHOCKEYMAGAZINE.COM PHOTOS BY Zachary Babo A