A Newmarket teen is being heralded for her life-saving actions after a hockey player collapsed at East Gwillimbury Sports Complex in Sharon on Sunday.

Raychel Gilles, 17, who keeps score during her father Bill’s weekly morning pickup hockey games, sprang into action when the goaltender for one of the teams fell to the ice.

The incident occurred toward the end of the group’s hour-long game. It was their second outing of the season.

Raychel said she watched the play coming up the boards, but noticed the distressed goaltender, George Padanyi, in the distance.

She ran onto the ice to assist the 66-year-old Stroud resident.

“It sounded like he was snoring and at first I thought of sleep apnea,” said the Grade 12 Sir William Mulock Secondary School student, who completed a CPR training course at school last semester.

“I checked his pulse in his throat and felt nothing, then in his wrist and felt nothing, so I started CPR.”

Within moments, a defibrillator arrived. She delivered a shock, then returned to CPR. Within 10 minutes, an ambulance arrived.

“I had never used an AED (automated external defibrillator) before except in my training,” said Gilles, who plans to study nursing in college.

“Everyone was standing around so I decided to jump right in and try my best to save him. I think everyone was in shock, but as soon as I found no pulse, I knew I had to get his heart pumping again.”

Gary Tobin, one of the hockey players, was at the blue line as play buzzed around the zone.

“All of a sudden, he was lying face down on the ice,” Tobin said. “I was told by someone standing behind the glass that he fell face first with no arms out. The knob of his stick caught on his throat under his mask.

“By the time I skated in from the blue line I heard gurgling in his throat.”

Training staff from a minor hockey group awaiting its ice time also assisted before emergency response teams arrived.

“This kid was outstanding,” Tobin said of Gilles’ efforts to revive Padanyi before he was transported to Southlake Regional Health Centre.

“It was a group thing, but she did the heavy lifting. Everyone in our group was blown away by what this girl did. She took charge.”

“One of the firefighters told me I was one of them for saving his life,” said Gilles, who plays hockey in the Central York Panthers girls’ program.

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“I didn’t panic and relied on my training. After the adrenaline ran off, I was tired and in shock.”

Padanyi was initially listed in critical condition. His condition was unknown as of Wednesday.

In the aftermath, Tobin said he and others in the group will insist other players put an emergency contact number inside their hockey bags.