Over 600 fans turned out at Bernick’s Arena in Sartell, Minnesota, on January 25 as the Blattner Energy Hockey Team hosted a free fundraising hockey game with the MN Warriors veteran’s team that resulted in corporate, private and at-the-door donations topping $29,000 to benefit the veteran’s non-profit club.
The funds raised will be used to:
- Help to expand the organization to the southern part of Minnesota to involve veterans in that area.
- Help support the newly created MN Warrior Women’s Ice Hockey Team.
- Fund ice rental, travel and lodging costs plus league fees for teams who otherwise pay out of their pockets for those expenses.
The teams rode together in a charter bus donated for the event by Trobec’s Bus Service which was escorted by the Sartell police and fire departments. The caravan was welcomed to the rink by a sizable group of fans plus a giant illuminated American flag donated by Coil’s Flags flown from a Sartell fire department ladder truck. The teams entered the rink under an arch of hockey sticks and military insignia flags held high by the Sartell High School boy’s hockey team.
Prior to the game, the St. John’s University ROTC presented the American and Minnesota state flags on the ice. The three national guard soldiers who perished in the helicopter accident near Kimball on Dec. 5, 2019, were honored in a moment of silence as three pairs of empty boots were illuminated at center ice. Minnesota Wild singer, John deCausmeaker, performed the National Anthem.
A Sartell Youth Hockey Association Mite game was played during the first intermission and there were chances to win Scheel’s gift cards, a signed MN Wild Zach Parise jersey, MN Wild tickets and other prizes throughout the night, all door prizes and raffle prizes were donated in kind to benefit the cause and the folks that came to support it .
“Blattner is honored to host this event to raise money as well as awareness for the MN Warriors and to personally honor and thank them for their service to our country,” said Christine Huston, Marketing Communications Director of Blattner.
This event wouldn’t be possible without the support of sponsors, especially the top event sponsors, Cobb, Strecker, Dunphy & Zimmerman, Hayden-Murphy, Abbott-Downing, Coldspring, RDO Equipment, Marco and Trois-Rivieres Training.
News item from Blattner
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