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ECHL Community Recap

ECHL Community Recap

Wednesday, February 10th

ECHL teams are always giving back to their local communities. Here's a look at some recent events from select teams.

Allen – NAMI APPEARANCE - Americans' forward Gary Steffes was the featured speaker at the National Alliance on Mental Illness monthly meeting in January. Gary spoke to the group about dealing with some of his own personal issues several years ago that almost led to him walking away from hockey. Steffes is a National Representative of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Allen Public Safety Fundraiser - The Americans were on hand for a fundraiser for the Allen Public Safety Recovery Fund at Top Golf Allen in January. Americans staff members manned a table and gave away ticket vouchers to anyone who made a donation to the charity. A portion of the money raised during the annual Police vs. Fire Charity hockey game in Allen benefits that APSRF. The Allen Public Safety Recovery Fund is a foundation established to provide benefits to Allen police officers, firefighters and paramedics who are injured in the line of duty.

Colorado – On Jan. 5, the Eagles teamed up with The Ice Rink at the Promenade Shops at Centerra, a local outdoor shopping area, to offer complimentary ice skating to Eagles fans of Northern Colorado! Local children and their families were invited to The Ice Rink for free ice skating along with the chance to win great prizes from the Eagles including tickets to upcoming games. Eagles players Teigan Zahn, Colin Joe, Derek Rodwell and Eric Levine were on hand for the event teaching kids how to skate, signing autographs, taking pictures and having some fun on the ice. Eagles mascot Slapshot was also skating during the event as were members of the EGals Ice Crew. Throughout the season, the Eagles offer 3 Free Skate Days as a fun and free opportunity for community members to get some ice time with the Colorado Eagles!

Elmira – Preparing for the Jackals Paws and Pucks night on Jan. 30, the Jackals spent the afternoon of Jan. 13 at the local SPCA. The players split into groups; some spent time in the dog food pantry, some played with cats and some played with dogs. While they were there, the Jackals created a video to play at their next few games to promote the SPCA and the Paws & Pucks Night.

Fort Wayne – The Komets hosted their first ever Superhero night on Jan. 16. Superheroes came to the game for photo opportunities, all while the Komets recognized real life superheroes. An intermission featured a police & fire broomball game. The jerseys the players wore were auctioned off, and the proceeds were split in three ways for the Police, Fire & EMS. Each group picked a charity of choice: Victim Assistance (Police), Great Lakes Burn Camp (Fire), and Rescue Mission (EMS). The Komets raised $9,600 in the post-game auction.

Greenville – Swamp Rabbbits defensemen Justin DaSilva and Reid Campbell took time out of their day off on Jan. 20 to visit Natalie, a local first-grade student at First Presbyterian Academy. Natalie has suffered from several major heart complications and recently received a heart transplant. During an unannounced surprise visit, both players surprised her and her classmates at school, and spent more than 45 minutes talking with them and bringing smiles to their faces.

Norfolk - The Admirals partnered with the Experience Church in Suffolk, Virginia to collect water for the residents of Flint, Michigan during the crisis they are currently facing. Fans attending Admirals games on Jan. 29 and 30 were encouraged to drop of cases of bottled water, gallon water jugs and water filters. The donations at the Admirals games were added to collections the Experience Church received from their congregation and the community and were shipped to Flint on Feb 1. The combined efforts of local businesses, the Experience Church, the Norfolk Admirals and the community helped send 47,124 containers of water to Flint.

Rapid City – On Jan. 25, Rush players went to St. Paul’s Lutheran Elementary School to read books to the students and discuss the importance of reading and education. Students also set reading goals and if they had met those goals, they got to play a hockey activity with the players in the gym! The activities included puck handling, a shooting contest, a game & a shootout.

Toledo – The Walleye hosted its “Don Cherry Night” promotion on Jan. 23. Walleye players were ‘sharp-dressed men’ for the evening, wearing Don Cherry inspired theme night jerseys. Many fans got into the act, wearing flamboyant jackets. The game worn jerseys as well as a jersey signed by Don Cherry were sold during a live postgame auction, which raised $21,650 for the American Cancer Society and the Walleye Wishing Well charitable fund. The highest selling jersey was Evan Rankin’s game worn, which sold for $5,000. The Walleye also made a $1,500 donation to the Don Cherry Pet Rescue Foundation.