SYRACUSE N.Y. – Myles Favata was practically born into hockey. The Liverpool native started watching the sport with his father Jamie from a young age and was immediately hooked. Today, he is a left wing for the Central New York Flyers.

“He always loved hockey; I think the first time he saw a game, he was three years old,” Jamie Favata said.

However, for Myles, playing his favorite game was far more difficult than enjoying it on TV. There was even a time when he never thought he would play hockey.

Myles was born with spina bifida, a rare birth defect where the spinal cord does not close properly during infancy. Although it is a treatable condition, all damage done prior to surgery is nerve-ending, meaning he will never gain full control of his legs.

“If you don’t know what it is, don’t worry. I found out about it at the 20-week ultrasound when I was going to find out if I was having a son or a daughter,” Jamie said.

Myles was able to try a few kinds of adaptive sports growing up, including powerchair soccer from the age of four, but it failed to fulfill the itch he had for hockey. That was until March 2018, when a change of the television channel would change the life of then-8-year-old Myles.

Onto the family TV came the Paralympic Gold Medal sled hockey game between the United States and Canada. The broadcast shined light to a game that would allow Myles to hit the ice and compete on a level playing field.

“I loved hockey as a kid, and once I saw a way that I could play it, I was hooked,” Myles said.

Quickly, he let his dad know of his intentions to play sled hockey.

“He immediately saw it and said, ‘That is a sport that is designed for me,’ and he basically pestered me to figure it out,” Jamie said.

Less than a month after watching his first sled hockey game, Myles was on the ice and playing it for the CNY Flyers. He said it took some time to learn the ropes, but he’s gotten much better at the sport.

Now, Myles is a leader for the Flyers, sharing skills and knowledge with his teammates, some of whom are far older than the high school sophomore. His growth has impressed many, including Head Coach Chuck Gridley.

“I do think it has helped his confidence, and he’s having success at something that you’ve got to work at. He’s getting better, and he sees that. I think that definitely helps his confidence in life in general,” Gridley said.

Today, Myles continues to star for the Flyers. He scored two goals in this year’s edition of the Syracuse Annual Unified Inclusive Hockey Game, where his team faced off against the Syracuse University club hockey team.

From watching the sport and wishing he could play to hitting the ice and scoring goals, one message constantly resurfaced with Myles when asked about his disability.

“I don’t let it define me. I may be playing a different kind of hockey, but it’s still hockey,” Myles said.Defying Limits: Myles Favata’s Journey from Hockey Fan to Sled Hockey Star