Having been part of the Fitchburg State hockey program since 1979, Falcons head coach Dean Fuller knows what the sport means to the city and region as well as anyone else.

And he knows that when a player needs help, few people can rally around an individual like a hockey community.

He hopes that will be the case on Saturday when the Wallace Civic Center hosts “Hockey Day in the Burg,” a three-game program that will benefit the Thibeault Family Rehabilitation Trust. Fitchburg native Jake Thibeault was paralyzed from the waist down after a hit in a September game left the 18-year-old Academy player Milton with a pair of fractured vertebrae.

“Jake is just an awesome kid. I’ve known him since he was little and he’s always helped me in clinics,” Fuller said Tuesday night. “Whatever we can do for him and his family, we are more than willing to do. I hope we will raise money for them.

The Falcons will open the “Jake Thibeault Games” poster with a game against MASCAC foe Westfield State at 3 p.m., followed by Milton Academy teammates from Thibeault who will face Pomfret School at 5:30 p.m. The day’s hockey festivities will be capped off with a matchup between Fitchburg/Monty Tech and Lunenburg/Ayer Shirley at 7:30 p.m.

In addition to raising money for the family’s medical and rehab costs, Fuller hopes the Thibeaults will see the local hockey community supporting Jake’s journey to hopefully one day walk again.

“He’s doing as well as you would expect. He works hard with physical therapy,” Fuller said. “If there’s anyone who would be able to walk again after something like this, it’s Jake.”

Following

The Falcons hit the road Thursday to face conference rival Salem State at 7 p.m. The Falcons opened the season with an 8-0 thrashing of the Vikings at the Wallace Civic Center.

Milestones

FSU senior captain Brian Glover took to the ice for his 75th career game in Tuesday’s 4-0 win over Plymouth State. The 2016 Monty Tech graduate has been a fixture on the Falcons blue line and is posting a plus-23+/- rating for his career.

Junior forward Hunter Fortin picked up his 25th career point with a brilliant second-period goal in Tuesday’s win. Fortin has 13 points in 26 games as a rookie and has eight goals and four assists in just 11 games this season.

Freshman forward Oliver Cookson scored the first multi-point game of his college career in the win, netting a pair of goals.