MDA Summer Camp Alumni Put the Power in Powerhockey

Philadelphia Flyers PowerPlay Orange Team takes the court in Game 3 of the tournament. Photo credit: Bradley Digital.

On the weekend of August 1, five Powerhockey teams from across North America hit the arena to compete for victory in the 2025 Powerhockey Cup. Hosted by the Philadelphia Flyers PowerPlay at Neumann University in Aston, PA, the tournament was a dazzling display of strength, abilities, and heart. Powerhockey, whose rules are based on a combination of ice hockey and floor hockey guidelines, is a fast-paced, competitive game of hockey with the use of power wheelchairs.

Teams are comprised of athletes living with a variety of diagnoses, including individuals living with neuromuscular disease. The tournament – and league itself – provide an opportunity for community, camaraderie, competition, growth, and sportsmanship. Open and free to the public, the event brought more than 200 spectators over the course of four days, and hundreds more tuned in to livestreams on YouTube.

The Philadelphia Flyers PowerPlay organization had two teams participating in the tournament, the Flyers PowerPlay Black team and the Flyers PowerPlay Orange team. The teams faced off against teams from Michigan, Toronto, and Ottawa for the coveted Powerhockey Cup.

Philadelphia Flyers PowerPlay Black Team celebrates victory. Photo credit: Eric Hartline

“The Flyers PowerPlay Black team won the tournament with an undefeated 6-0 record,” says Jake Hartline, the Team Manager and a member of the Executive Committee for the organization. “The highlight of the tournament was the Flyers PowerPlay Black third period comeback to win the Championship Game. The PowerPlay Black team were down 3-1 against the Michigan Mustangs going into the third period. With just under six and a half minutes left in the game, PowerPlay Black scored 3 goals in 68 seconds to take the lead and never looked back.”

Three players from the organization also won individual tournament awards: PowerPlay Black’s Jake Saxton was named Tournament MVP, PowerPlay Black’s Alex Pitts was Championship Game MVP, and Josh Scoble of PowerPlay Orange won the award for Outstanding Rookie.”

MVP Jake Saxton and a number of his teammates are MDA Summer Camp alumni, many of whom first experienced playing Powerhockey during their time at camp. We checked in with four of the players about what Powerhockey and MDA Summer Camp means to them.

Jake Saxton, 22 years old, Forward

Jake Saxton

Jake, a former MDA camper who lives with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), currently serves as an assistant captain and committee member of the Philadelphia Flyers PowerPlay power wheelchair hockey team. Jake has been on the team for fifteen years and is a five-time MVP. This year, Jake led his team, and the entire tournament, with 20 goals and 30 points.

“I’ve been playing power wheelchair hockey since I was 7 years old, and my journey with the MDA community started when I became a camper at age 9,” Jake says. “Each summer, I looked forward to that incredible week of fun and connection. Not only did MDA camp give me the chance to experience independence, but it is also where I built lifelong friendships and became part of a truly remarkable community. I’m grateful for the experiences and relationships that shaped me through both hockey and MDA.”

The love of the game and the powerful community connection are Jake’s favorite aspects of being part of the PowerPlay team. “What I like best about being on the team is being able to express myself in a competitive setting and forming friendships on and off the court,” he says.

Liam Miller, 27 years old, Forward

Liam Miller

Liam Miller, who lives with Ullrich muscular dystrophy, has been a part of the Philadelphia Flyers PowerPlay for almost 20 years and serves at the Flyers PowerPlay Team Captain. He scored 8 goals and tallied 5 assists in this year’s tournament.

“The PowerPlay is so deeply important to me. Over the years, it has given me an abundance of chances to learn and grow, to exercise, to compete, to make relationships, to make decisions, and much more. The league has been a critical resource for community, advice, friendship, and support in addition to hockey. It has given me so much and I wouldn’t be who I am without it,” Liam says.

“When I was around 6 years old, I attended MDA Camp for the first time, and it changed my life. I immediately fell in love with it and ended up spending 12 summers in a row going back to hang with my friends and make memories. The beauty of camp was being able to have the freedom to do what you wanted, which helped me to learn to be independent. Sometimes that was going to the camp-organized activities like swimming or arts and crafts, sometimes that was heading to the gym with my cabin mates to play wheelchair hockey. Over the years, hockey and camp became synonymous and I always looked forward to going back to camp so I could play with my friends. As I got older and heard about the PowerPlay league, a lot of those friendships carried over into playing for the PowerPlay – and so camp and hockey are closely intertwined in my heart. Both have had such a profound impact on my life and their meaning to me is hard to put into words.”

“I love the community it provides for people,” he continues. “I’ve met so many incredible friends by being on this team that it’s hard to imagine a life without it. I love being able to compete at a high level with friends I care about and when we work together to win our games. We’ve all gone through our lives with disabilities and sometimes the world makes that challenging, but it feels so sweet to share that experience with other people you care about.”

Michele Boardman, 39 years old, Defense

Michele Boardman

Michele, who lives with limb-girdle muscular dystrophy (LGMD) Type 2i/R9, was introduced to Powerhockey at MDA Summer Camp when she was 13 years old. It quickly became her favorite sports activity at camp as she embraced the newfound freedom and independence she discovered in adaptive sports. Her love for Powerhockey and the time spent with her camp family, building bonds that have lasted a lifetime, have shaped who she is today.

“After I aged out of MDA Summer Camp, graduated college, and got my master’s degree, I became reacquainted with my favorite camp sport, through my good friend Pat Hilferty, who continued to pester me about joining his wheelchair hockey team for 10 years,” Michele says. “I’ve been playing since 2012, and love the camaraderie, competition, leadership opportunities, and the chance to be part of something greater than myself.”

“Our team accepts the challenges that life has placed in our path, and we rise above adversity. Powerhockey is the conduit through which we can let go of the constraints of our disability, and let out our aggression, overcome our fears, take risks, and put our pride on the line to pursue excellence, learn, grow, and achieve,” she continues. “I often think of my hockey team as the continuation of the MDA camp legacy in adulthood. Being part of this team feels a lot like being at MDA Camp, in the sense that you are surrounded by people who have similar challenges as you and they get it. They get what it’s like to navigate the world in an environment that wasn’t built for them. Being in that community feels like family, surrounded by people who care about you and want you to succeed, both in the sport and in life. We cheer for and support each other’s accomplishments both on and off the court.”

Lea Donaghy, 26 years old, Forward/Goalie

Lea Donaghy

Lea Donaghy, who lives with a neuromuscular disease, has been a proud member of the Philadelphia Flyers PowerPlay for ten years. She notes being part of this team as one of her favorite things in the world. This was Lea’s first tournament playing as the team’s goalie. She finished the tournament with 2.38 Goals Against Average, allowing only 11 goals throughout her 208 minutes of play.

“I’m also a former MDA Camp camper, an experience that had a huge impact on my life. It was the first time I got to be independent and away from my family, and it helped me grow in ways I never imagined. Even more special, it’s where I met some of the most important people in my life, my chosen family. These are the people who believe in me, understand the challenges I face, and support me unconditionally,” Lea says. “MDA Summer Camp introduced me to the amazing sport of Powerhockey. Through the game, I’ve learned so much, especially about teamwork and communication. It’s given me a chance to compete, stay motivated, and push myself to be the best I can be. I’m so thankful for the friendships, memories, and opportunities that came from MDA Camp. It’s what led me to one of my biggest passions, and I wouldn’t trade that for anything.”

Competition, community, and comradery

Philadelphia Flyers PowerPlay Black Team prepares to compete. Photo credit: Eric Hartline

Echoing the sentiment of these experienced competitors, first-time MDA Summer Camp attendee and rookie PowerPlay athlete, 8-year-old Roland, wrapped up his first year on the Flyers PowerPlay team with gratitude and passion. “My favorite thing about competing in the tournament was seeing so many athletes just like me,” Roland says. As the youngest player on the team, he shares one of the best things about being part of the organization is learning from the older athletes whom he looks up to on the team.

In a sport that celebrates abilities, perseverance, and teamwork, victory exceeds far beyond claiming the title of Powerhockey Cup Champions – the true victory is found in the community and growth that the league provides.