PATCHOGUE, N.Y. (BVM) — Learning a new sport is hard enough, but other obstacles such as injuries makes this even more difficult than it needs to be. With Jonathan Gudel already being a newbie to the game of roller hockey, his horrific injury only complicated the process.

“I didn’t actually start playing with a stick and ball until I was 13,” Gudel said. “I didn’t start playing roller hockey until my freshman year of college.” 

The 21-year-old attended St. Joseph’s College where he would begin playing roller hockey for the first time. In October 2017, Gudel endured an ankle injury during his second game with the team that proved to be life changing.

“The rink was really slippery,” Gudel said. “I tried stopping, but my ankle twisted in the skate and it just snapped. My coach told me to try and stand up, but I couldn’t.”

Following the immediate aftermath of Gudel’s ankle injury, his team took him to a local hospital in Rhode Island for treatment and would eventually visit one in New York to further diagnose the issue. From there, he learned that this injury was a lot more serious than originally thought.

“It was a spiral fracture of my fibula and I tore all the ligaments in my ankle,” Gudel said.

Upon returning home to New York and finding out the severity of his injury, Gudel underwent the first of two surgeries, which began his road to recovery.

“I had to get a plate and screws inserted into my right ankle,” Gudel said. “There was a lot of physical therapy for two months after my first surgery.”

With the help of physical therapy, it would be a big step in getting back on his feet and once he could walk again, Gudel’s emotions told the whole story.

“I had my second surgery two months later to remove those pins and I was finally able to walk again around Christmas time,” Gudel said. “The emotions when I was able to walk again were through the roof. I was smiling, laughing, and going crazy.”

Just two months later, Gudel took it a step further and was back on skates for the first time since his injury.

“I didn’t know how I was going to feel,” Gudel said. “I thought I wouldn’t be able to skate at all, but it was fine and I felt no restrictions.”

Although Gudel was skating four months after his ankle injury, he determined that it would take a little longer to return, thus cutting his rookie season short.

“I started skating right before our final weekend of the regular season,” Gudel said. “My muscle was really gone in my right leg and I also put on a couple pounds. My coach asked if I was ready to go in, but I told him not yet.”

From that point on, the Golden Eagles forward used the remaining weeks of the semester and upcoming summer months to be fully healthy for next season.

“I practiced with the team and started skating on my own to try and get back in shape,” Gudel said. “Through hard work and consistency, I was able to get the muscle back, lose the weight and I was ready for next season.”

For Gudel, a return to hockey would not have been possible without the help of his girlfriend being there every step of the way. The couple has been together for over seven years and he credits her for all her help throughout the recovery process.

“I wouldn’t be able to walk normally again if she wasn’t there for me,” Gudel said. “She helped me get to school, brought me food when I needed it and did pretty much everything for me.”

This past March, Gudel and his teammates competed in Division III of the Eastern Collegiate Roller Hockey Association (ECRHA) Conference Championships. With their backs against the wall, the signature moment of his collegiate career came in an elimination game against their Long Island rivals, Hofstra University.

“The game was tied 1-1 while we were on the penalty kill, but I got a clean breakaway and scored,” Gudel said. “That was the best moment I have ever had in hockey. That feeling of excitement just rushed over and I couldn’t tell you how happy I was.”

Along with Gudel being named first star of the game, St. Joseph’s went on to win the match and kept their playoff hopes alive for another day. The team lost their following game to Temple University which concluded their season and his career. Through 44 games played with the Golden Eagles, Gudel finished his collegiate career with nine goals and five assists.