Jason Wilson, of Johnston, who skates for Norwich University of Northfield, Vt., founds a group that solicits donations based on goals scored by the team.

01:00 AM EST on Sunday, December 25, 2005

BY MIKE SZOSTAK
Journal Sports Writer

This could be another story of a local kid playing college hockey a long way from home, but it's much more than that. It's the story of a local kid playing hockey to brighten the lives of children with cancer.

Jason Wilson of Johnston is a senior at Norwich University. He isn't the captain, the best player or the leading scorer. He is a 5-foot-7, 170-pound right wing who skates on the second line with fellow seniors and leading scorers Garett Winder and Mike Serba.

Wilson is also the founder of a movement dubbed Cadets in the Community and its 2005-06 fundraising effort, Goals to Assist Cancer.

The idea is simple. Fans of Norwich Hockey -- and they are many because there isn't much to do in Northfield, Vt., during the winter -- pledge money for every goal Norwich scores at home. Businesses commit between $5 and $50, individuals $1. Wilson and his teammates are encouraging donors to add bonuses for every power-play goal.

All proceeds will go to Camp Ta-Kum-Ta, a summer camp for youngsters who have cancer.

Wilson does not know the exact amount raised so far, but he does know that the Cadets scored 31 goals in their four home games before the holiday break, so the fundraising effort is off to a strong start.

"We get 1,500 people at our games. When I saw that type of support and the position we're in as athletes to give something back, I thought it was a good thing to do," Wilson said yesterday from his home, where he is relaxing until the day after Christmas, when he must return to school and the hockey season.

Wilson had wanted to get involved in his community earlier in his collegiate career, but that was at SUNY-Cortland, where the atmosphere is quite different from that at Norwich.

"I had a friend who had a friend at Cornell who had done something similar, and I wanted to get involved in something like that. But the support wasn't there at Cortland. Then I transferred. Last season, at the end of the season, I felt comfortable at Norwich and sat down with the president and with my coach."

Cadets in the Community is the result of that meeting.

Norwich is a quasi-military school with the student body comprising civilians and students who aspire to military careers. Cadet graduates can choose from among the four branches of the service. Most athletes are civilians with different post-graduate plans. Wilson would like to attend law school.

Northfield is the quintessential college town.

"It's small-town Vermont, small-town America. There's the university and a small downtown circle, and that's about it. You walk down the street, and everybody knows you. It's kind of an honor," Wilson said.

Community service is a given for Norwich students, who devote "an absurd number of hours" to organizations such as Habitat for Humanity and blood drives. Locals afford Norwich athletes the same adulation the rest of American society does most professional athletes.

"We do skates with the community at the beginning of the year and at the end of the year. When kids come up to us and ask for autographs, I see what pro athletes go through, and I realize the importance of being a role model," Wilson said.

"I had to work on my signature. I never expected that," he added with a laugh. "When I sign my autograph, I realize how important Norwich hockey is."

Deciding on a cause for Cadets in the Community wasn't difficult. Lynn Beedle, a 2004 Norwich alum and member of the 2000 NCAA Division III championship team, survived testicular cancer and was the subject of a video, Road Back to the Final, which documents his struggle. Norwich players have either seen the video or know Beedle.

Two people close to Wilson died of cancer. Sandy Spiriti, a breast-cancer victim, was the mother of a friend from his Bishop Hendricken days. Albert Piscopiello, his great-uncle, died of lung cancer last year.

"He was also my first employer. I painted dorm rooms at Providence College and Brown for him during high school and college. His death took a toll on the family. He was more than a great-uncle. He was like a grandfather to me."

Parents of two Norwich teammates also have cancer, so when the hockey team met to decided upon a cause, the decision was as easy as hitting an open net. Wilson's brother Jonathan designed the logo.

Deciding where the money should go didn't take long, either. Coach Mike McShane, the former PC coach, had mentioned the camp to Wilson.

"Cancer affects everybody, but it really affects kids. We're all 18 to 23, so not too long ago we were kids. We can identify with them," he said.

The beneficiary next year could be different, but that doesn't matter to Wilson so long as there is a cause.

"My big hope is to have something to pass on. I hope other hockey players will follow. That's why I started it," he said.

He has been nominated for the 2005-06 Hockey Humanitarian, an award recognizing "college hockey's finest citizen."

Wilson is the next generation of the great Wilson hockey family of Rhode Island. His dad, Brad, and his uncles, Ron and Randy, were hockey stars at Providence College and are in the PC Hall of Fame. Jason played at Bishop Hendricken for three years and transferred to Northfield Mount Hermon for the remainder of his high-school career. He never considered Providence College because he believed he was too small for Division I hockey.

"And my dad always preached to me to find my own way and blaze my own trail," he said.

He wanted to go to Norwich but wasn't sure he could play for one of the best D-III programs in the nation. So he followed his prep school coach to Cortland. After two years he realized that he needed a bigger challenge on and off the ice, so he transferred to Norwich. McShane was interested because Wilson's production had improved from Northfield Mount Hermon.

The change was profound.

"The caliber of player here is far superior. They have much more knowledge about the game. One of my coaches at Cortland told me that Cortland has people who play hockey, and Norwich has hockey players. There's definitely a difference. Last year was a struggle for me because there are so many good players here."

Wilson played 26 games last season and finished with six goals and three assists, down from 18 goals and 12 assists the year before at Cortland. He has two goals and five assists this season for the 5-2-1 Cadets.

Wilson has conquered the academic challenge. The political science major has a 3.8 GPA and qualified for the Norwich University Scholar List. Better than that, he was one of Norwich's two Rhodes Scholar nominees this fall.

"That was a big surprise. To be thrown into a competition like that with people from Brown and Harvard and Yale was an honor," he said.

He didn't advance to the interview round last month, but just being considered ranks among the highlights of his collegiate experience, right up there with Cadets in the Community and Goals to Assist Cancer.

Roundup Add these names to the list of Rhode Islanders playing college hockey. Freshman Pat McCarthy (Warwick/Milton Academy) is a defenseman at Babson. Forward Joe Loiselle (Chepachet/Bridgewater Bandits) skates for New England College. Junior Erik Smith (Warwick/Hill School) is a goalie at Saint Michael's and is 0-1-2. Freshman Andrew Buchanan (Burrillville/Hill School) a forward at UMass Boston.

Contact Mike Szostak at mszostak@projo.com