Brayden Gero has had a pretty-exciting last few years. He met President Barack Obama at the White House in 2014, rode a Duck Boat with Tom Brady in the 2015 Super Bowl Parade, and was honored by the Boston Police Department in 2018.  Now 19, he is a proud team impact member of the Curry College hockey team, having signed on with the school in the fall of 2022. 

“I love Curry College,” says Gero. “I signed a contract, and I made it so far. The guys love me.”

Gero, who has Down Syndrome, attends the Dr. William W. Henderson Inclusion School in Dorchester, which serves children of diverse ability backgrounds from early childhood through 12th grade. He joined the Curry Colonials squad through Team IMPACT, a national nonprofit organization that matches children facing serious illness and disability with college athletic teams.  

He has been at the Henderson since middle school and is now in its transition program, which provides students over the age of 18 with additional skills and support.

He is proving to be a multi-tasker. He also works for the Boston Police Department, where his father, Jarrod Gero, is a sergeant.  “I like school so much,” Brayden said. “I’m in transition this year and I got a job some days for Boston Police. This is my dream come true, my dad’s a cop for Boston.”

Brayden Gero “considers himself like a player-coach,” says Curry College’s men’s hockey head coach Peter Roundy. “He’s always thinking about how to help the team.”  Cassidy McNeeley photos

Even with his busy school and work schedule, Gero never fails to make time for the Colonial skaters. Over the past two seasons, he has attended almost every game, both home and away. When the Colonials host games at the Canton Ice House, Brayden arrives in his suit, makes his presence known in the locker room, and stands right by the bench throughout the game. 

While he is technically a team impact player, he tends to take on the role of coach.  “He wears a lot of hats, he considers himself like a player-coach,” said head coach Peter Roundy. “He’s here once a week for practice. He’s talking with all the guys, talking with us, and he comes up with plays. He’s always thinking about how to help the team.” 

One way that Brayden does this is by reading off the starting lineup before the game, an opportunity Roundy gives players throughout the season. The rule being, if the team loses, someone new steps up, and if the team wins, that person continues to announce the starters. When it was finally Brayden’s turn, the team went on a 12-game winning streak. 

Both Roundy and assistant coach Paul Russell believe Gero’s energy helped the team go 20-5-1 this season. “He is as important as our first-line center,” said Russell. “He’s a big part of our team and he knows that and takes pride in that. He’s an electric guy and he gets us fired up.” 

While Brayden appreciates the talents of every player on the team, he said that senior captain George Vonakis is the best because he is “fast” and “almost” scores a lot. He also plays center, which is Gero’s favorite position. “I like center because of the passing and shooting,” he said. “They help the team and build the team.” 

Vonakis, who has compiled 45 goals and assists in his career at Curry, shines on the ice, but he thinks that Gero is the one who lights up the rink. ​

“Brayden signed on as our team impact player in the spring of my sophomore year. I’ve been here ever since he’s been with the team and his impact has been just awesome,” said Vonakis. “He always comes in with good energy and he’s always keeping us in line, too. He’s just been a bright spot the entire time he’s been here and is an awesome addition to the team. I’m glad he’s here.”

Like his coaches, Vonakis sees Gero as a role model for the whole team. “Even through the challenges he goes through, we see him still being positive and loving life,” he said in an interview with the Reporter.

Not only does Brayden spread his positivity around the rink, but he also takes this same energy to Curry’s campus in Milton.
“I enjoy him at the rink, but I think it’s really fun when we can see him outside the rink,” said junior forward Eelis Laaksonen. “He comes by the school a couple of times a month and has dinner with us and that’s always fun. We can see how much it means to him, and I think anything that we can do to make him happy or help him out is really important and pretty special.”

At these dinners, Gero enjoys his favorite food, hamburgers, and laughs with his teammates. Occasionally he’ll even get up and dance, which is junior defenseman Jacob Crespo’s favorite memory. “We do team dinners now and again and we’ll bring him to our student cafeteria. One day he was coming up to me saying ‘I want to show you my dance.’ He put his headphones on and just started dancing and we were hitting the table. He was just buzzing around, and we got everyone buzzing with him,” said Crespo. 

Brayden’s Irish step to “Shipping Up to Boston,” is just one way he keeps his teammates smiling throughout what can be a long and tiring hockey season. “He notices when guys are down and he’ll come sit with you and talk about anything and everything, which is fun,” Crespo said. “He takes your mind off things here and there and is constantly being positive all the time.” 

Gero’s teammates and coaches hope to see him stick around for many more seasons and already look forward to next winter. “It’s just a great way to give the guys some perspective on life and ground them,” said Roundy. “He lives life with such a passion and enthusiasm that it’s infectious and I think it rubbed off on the guys. It makes them realize what’s important.”

In the fall, Brayden will continue his education in Dorchester but this time at UMass Boston where he will be seeking a certificate in Travel Training.

Editor’s Note: The Curry Colonials’ season just got a little bit longer. Despite a 7-2 loss in their playoff game against Salve Regina on Feb. 24, the Colonials have received an at-large bid to the NCCA DIII tournament. Their first game will be against SUNY Geneseo at the Ira S. Wilson Ice Arena in New York this Saturday at 7 p.m.