Steel Give Back
The Steel work on the ice every day, in practice and in games. Along with that, they are giving back to the fans of Chippewa Valley community. Through the Boys and Girls Club, skating with youth players, and Salvation Army bell ringing the Steel are making a difference in the Chippewa Valley community.
Every week Steel players go to the Boys and Girls Club to hang out with kids, play games, and be a leader and mentor for the kids. “It’s really fun because we get to interact with the kids, which makes it really fun for us,” said Steel forward Connor Szmul.
The team has also made appearances at open skate night at the Chippewa Area Ice Arena. The Steel players go to open skate and skate with youth players who may just be getting started in their hockey career or who have been skating for a while.
Last month, the Steel along with the Chippewa Youth Hockey Association held a fundraiser to help with victims and family of the Girls Scout Troop #3055 tragedy. The Steel wore their normal away green jerseys at home in their remembrance and have placed a sticker on the back on their helmets for the remainder of the season. A portion of the ticket proceeds on November 24th and Scheels Chuck-A-Puck proceeds went to the Helpful Hearts Foundation set up by CCF Bank. Over 1,500 was raised to help those families. “The Steel organization will always be there to do everything it can to help the community come together and support people in need,” stated Business Manager Jake Serwe.
During this holiday season, you can find the Steel players ringing bells for the Salvation Army. Throughout the month of December, the players have been participating in the iconic Salvation Army Bell Ringing at Gordy’s Market in Chippewa Falls. Jacob Dirks said, “It feels good to give back to the community that supports us throughout this whole season and integrating the community with the new franchise”.
Be sure to come support the Steel in their next home game on Friday December 14th for $2 Beer Night presented by Leinenkugel’s. Get your tickets and more information about everything Steel Hockey at chippewasteelhockey.com.
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The Chippewa Steel are members of the NAHL which is the oldest and largest junior hockey league of its kind in the United States and one of only two USA Hockey-certified leagues that operate under the non pay-to-play model. The NAHL is also one of the best at advancing players to NCAA and professional hockey. Notable Alumni of the NAHL include Ryan Suter (MIN), Patrick Kane (CHI) and Phil Kessel (PIT) All league games are viewable via HockeyTV. For more information, visit chippewasteelhockey.com.