I came accross this article in the Campus Update an in-house publication for
faculty and staff at Ball State University.  This is kind of ironic since
Ball State does not have a ice hockey team and I have been unable to even
locate a rink in this town.  For those of you who have never heard of Ball
State, don't feel bad, it's in Muncie, IN.  To defend it's publication at this
campus I have to tell you that Ball State has a very fine exercise physiology
program and they often study amateur and professional athletes.
 
"If you're a hockey foward, you'd better have Blue Cross"
 
(Please excuse any typos, I am absolutely horrible at a keyboard.)
 
        Hockey fowards are more likely to be injured than goalies or defensemen
says a Ball State University professor who researched injuries to college ice
hockey players.
 
        Physical education professor Michael Ferrara conducted a three-year
study of injuries on seven New England college hockey teams.  Ferrara examined
the causes of hockey iinjuries, the body parts affected and the player positions
   that get injured the most.
 
        Fowards had the highest percentage of injuries--59 percent.  Defensemen
had a 32 percent injury rate and goalies 10 percent.
 
        The study showed that injuries to the head, face and neck region are not
   as frequent as many people believe,  Ferrara said.  Less than 10 percent of t
   he
injuries were to that region.  Ferrara attributed the low percentage of head
injuries to helmets and face shields that college hockey players are required
to wear.
 
        Hockey players get hurt mostly in the shoulders and knees.  Both areas
together account for 40% of the injuries.  The groin, hip and thigh region
received 23 percent of the injuries.  Ankle injuries accounted for only 10
percent of hockey players hurts.
 
        "Hockey is a rough sport," Ferrara said. "The risk of injury is only
slightly higher than college football."  Ferrara, a former hockey player, was
head trainer for the U.S. National hockey team in 1983.  He said most hockey
injuries come during competition, not in practice.  "Coaches do a good job of
keeping practice safe and injury free."
 
        The leading causes of hockey injuries, according to the study:
--Direct impact with another player or with the ice  46%.
--Impact with the boards  22%.
--Puck or stick impact  17%.
 
        Ferrara, who coordinates Ball State's athletic training program, re-
commends stronger enforcement of college hockey rules.  He said that strict en-
forcement of rules against improper body checking into the boards could help
reduce injuries.
 
        Ferrara's study included hockey teams in the Eastern Collegiate
Athletic Conference and the Hockey East conference.  END
 
        GO BADGERS!!!  WHEN YOU SAY WIS-CON-SIN, YOU'VE SAID IT ALL!!!
 
        Susan Kreager
        Ball State University (soon to be Madison, WI)