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"EVERYONE SUPPORTS EACH OTHER AND PICKS EACH OTHER UP AND ADAM IS A BIG REASON FOR THAT." —ANDREW FREIDMAN, JUNIOR ON THE TOWSON UNIVERSITY CLUB TEAM "People say that it's only a game, but inside that game there's all these life lessons," says Cheetah's coach Dave Lucia, who has coached Rothstein and the Montgomery program since its inception in 2006. "The great thing about hockey is you're able to learn these lessons because they're inherently part of the game, and they learn them with- out even being aware it's happening." Rothstein was accepted into Towson's Freshman Transition Program, which allows him to take community college courses on campus while living in the dorms and adjusting to life away from home. Lucia, after finding out Towson hockey ing with his teammates on Sundays, both of which have contributed to an exponential improvement in his hockey skills. "When he started, he struggled a little because the tempo he was used to went from a walk to a sprint," Slusher says. "He's adjusted every practice. I think the hardest thing for him to learn was the drills, but once he learns the drills, he jumps right in." Rothstein has received a tremendous coach Ed Slusher had ASHA coaching experience, was certain there was some way for him to be involved with the program. "I made a phone call to see if there was someone who could mentor him or if he could be part of the team doing stats or something," Lucia recalls. "But after seeing him practice, Slusher was impressed and said, 'I can work with him.' " While he can't compete in games until he completes the FTP and becomes a full-time Towson student, Rothstein skates at every practice and participates in strength train- amount of support from his teammates both on and off the ice. Slusher sees his top players take Rothstein aside if needed to walk him through a drill, and Zucker has been helping him stay on track academical- ly, providing a study partner for Rothstein's philosophy class. While it will take some time until Adam Rothstein can suit up for Towson University in a game, he is there ready to support his friends and teammates in any way he can. time," adds Lucia. "Because it makes the players realize how lucky they are to pos- sess their hockey and academic skills and they're inspired by how hard they see Adam work at practice that they work harder themselves." The entire team has benefitted too. As of late September, the Tigers had already posted half of their win total from last season. "The team morale this year is much higher compared to last year," Freidman says. "Everyone supports each other and picks each other up, and Adam is a big reason for that." "[Towson's general manager] Peter Rorick told me that Adam was the best thing that happened to the team in a long Between a full slate of classes, week- day practices and the adjustment all stu- dents make when they leave for college, Rothstein certainly has his work cut out for him, but like everyone who's followed his progress can attest to, it's nothing that's outside his grasp. "I'm excited to play my first game," Rothstein says. "If I get even two or four minutes on the ice, that will make all the difference." N Danielle Bernstein is a freelance writer based in Baltimore. USAHOCKEYMAGAZINE.COM NOVEMBER.2012 27