Title: Men’s Ice Hockey Meets Jensen in Collaboration with Team IMPACT

Ashley McDermott ’26

Executive Sports Editor

The Men’s Ice Hockey team has embraced many achievements this past season. From, eleven wins, two shutouts, and head coach Matt Greason’s 250th win. A new win has manifested off the ice, and that win is the recent partnership with Team IMPACT. The newest player, Jensen, is a fourth grader from Green Hills School, who signed his letter of intent with the Trinity Men’s Ice Hockey Team earlier this month. He is a bright student, and loves sports. Head Coach Matthew Greason commented to the Tripod, “I am proud of our continued work with team impact. Our first Team Impact Teammate, Brenden, was an overwhelming success for the team and Brenden and I are optimistic that Jensen and our team will grow from our time together.” 

Previously, the Men’s team collaborated with Brenden, who has an immune dysfunction. He officially joined the team during his signing day press conference on Feb. 26 in 2022. Just like Jensen, Brenden had the opportunity to participate in many activities with the Men’s Ice Hockey team including games, practices, and other team events.

Coach Greason continued, “This is a special program, run by wonderful people. I am grateful we can continue to support the mission of Team IMPACT while teaching our players invaluable life skills and perspective.”

Katie DePaolo, Team IMPACT’s regional marketing manager reached out to the Tripod to share their mission and methods in facilitating these relationships. She shared, “based on a clinical model, Team IMPACT guides a symbiotic relationship focused on socialization, empowerment, and resilience between teams and children, ensuring everyone involved has the personalized game plan they need to win, effectively building confidence and independence.” This has been a successful partnership for over a decade. She added, “Trinity College has worked with Team IMPACT for the past 10 years, matching 19 children across its baseball, football, men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s ice hockey, men’s and women’s lacrosse, men’s and women’s soccer, men’s swimming, softball, and volleyball teams.” In Fall 2025, the men and women’s swimming and diving team welcomed Mikey, continuing Trinity’s work with the organization. 

Team IMPACT’s statement on their website says, “Team IMPACT is a national non-profit organization that matches children dealing with serious illnesses and disabilities with collegiate level athletic teams nationwide.”

Since their founding in 2011, Team IMPACT has matched over 4,000 kids with more than 800 collegiate athletic teams. The organization was created by eight college classmates and student athletes in Boston. Founder Jay Calnan got the inspiration from his brother, Chris, who was born with a condition that stopped him from participating in sports. Chris served as a batboy for the Bristol Red Sox, a minor league AA baseball team, creating the spark for Team IMPACT.

Currently, Krissie Kelleher serves as the CEO. She was once a Division I student-athlete and mother of a pediatric cancer survivor, leading dozens of experienced social and pediatric workers on a national and regional level.

The program lasts for two years while the child undergoes treatment, giving them an opportunity to develop these special connections and the confidence that helps them in their healing. In teaching empathy, camaraderie, resilience and boldness, Team IMPACT creates mutually beneficial relationships between children and athletes nationwide, so that the child could be championed and so teams continue to inspire.

The Men’s Ice Hockey team will return to the ice Friday, Feb. 20 at 7 pm at Wesleyan University for NESCAC play, and will play them that next day at home at the Koeppel Community Sports Center.