The Dartmouth men's ice hockey team is embracing the holiday spirit this year by sponsoring a charity toy drive on Dec. 12, which will benefit Children's Hospital at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center. An annual tradition according to assistant captain Joe Stejskal '11, the team has participated in a charity drive all four years he's been at Dartmouth.
"It is important to give back to the community, and help others who are having a tough time," Stejskal said. "The toy drive allows us to realize that there are more important things in life than hockey."
Stejskal added that it's great to see the kids' faces light up when the team arrives with the toys.
"Being in the hospital during Christmas has got to be tough on the kids, so we want to make our visit a special day for them," he said.
The toys will be presented to CHaD when the team makes a trip to the facility in late December.
Assistant captain Evan Stephens '11 said he always enjoys the experience and that both the team and the kids find it fun.
"It's tradition that one player dresses up as an elf," Stephens said. "There's also usually a snowball fight in the parking lot the kids are all there waiting for us, it's a great time."
Captain Scott Fleming '11 said that participating in community service is important to the team. The toy drive allows the team to reflect on how lucky it is, he said, and to recognize that all members of the Dartmouth community should do his or her part to help those who are less fortunate.
"We just want to do whatever we can do bring spirit and hope to [the children]," Fleming added.
This is not the first volunteer project that the Dartmouth men's ice hockey team has undertaken. In addition to sponsoring the toy drive, several members of the team are also involved with Friends of Dartmouth Hockey, which connects current players with lower level hockey programs. Players attend practices several times a year and demonstrate drills, pass on knowledge and sign autographs. In addition, the team helped out on the set of Extreme Home Makeover last year.
The Big Green men's hockey team next takes the ice on Sunday, Dec. 12, against the University of Vermont at Thompson Arena at 4 p.m. Attendees are encouraged to bring any new, unwrapped toys to tables provided at Thompson Arena. Any fan that brings a toy will have a chance to register for prizes donated by the men's hockey team. Items will be raffled off during the game.
The Big Green men's hockey team is off to a strong start this season. The team is 6-3-1 overall, 5-2-1 in the ECAC, and 3-0 in Ivy League play. Much of the team's success has been due to the strong play of Big Green netminder James Mello '12, who has five wins thus far as the team's goalie. After the Vermont game, the team will host the Ledyard National Bank Classic, which features B.C., Colgate, Mercyhurst and Dartmouth.
Fans already had a chance to donate to CHaD when the team held an event during the Harvard University game on Nov. 27, when Dartmouth beat the Crimson 5-2.
