Holy Angels high school hockey player hit into boards has limited use of hands, lower body

A high school hockey player who took a hard hit into the boards over the weekend during a scrimmage in White Bear Lake remains hospitalized with a serious brain injury.

Academy of Holy Angels senior captain Mason Garcia was sent into the boards Saturday by a player from Lakeville South during the contest at TCO Sports Garden in Vadnais Heights, his head coach said.

An ambulance took Garcia to Regions Hospital, where he was admitted to the intensive care unit, Holy Angels head coach Patrick Griswold said.

As of Sunday night, "movement in Mason's hands and lower body is limited," read a posting on an online fundraising page started by Garcia's team in an effort to pay for future medical and therapy expenses.

A hospital spokeswoman said late Monday afternoon that Garcia was in fair condition.

Rebecca Lechner, who has two sons on Holy Angels and is coordinating the fundraising effort, posted photos on Facebook showing a smiling Garcia in his hospital bed during a visit by some of his teammates.

"All the boys are rallying around the official 'dad' of their team," Lechner wrote.

Griswold said he didn't see the play because he was talking to another player at the time. But he said video showed Garcia hitting his head against the glass.

"He was in and out of consciousness on the ice, and we called 911," the coach of the Richfield team said.

Griswold said he and the other coaches decided to call off the rest of the day's scrimmages.

Matt Lechner, who was at the scrimmage to watch his sons, said the hit happened in a corner of the rink that is out of view from the stands, which are on only one side.

"From what I understand, [the hit] was not malicious; it wasn't anything of ill intent," he said.