Ice Miners Make Mark in Community
April 9, 2015 - North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Keystone Ice Miners News Release
With the regular season in the rear view mirror and the playoffs beginning this weekend, the Keystone Ice Miners hope they've made a positive impact on the Western Pennsylvania Community in their first year in Connellsville.
"Community relations is one of the most important parts of being a player for the Keystone Ice Miners," said head coach and general manager Michael Gershon. "We pride ourselves on being out in the community and helping whenever we can."
Among the many community endeavors that the Ice Miners have engaged in this season were: collecting and delivering Toys for Tots at Applebee's in Mount Pleasant, reading to students at Lafayette Elementary School in Uniontown, unloading trucks for the Connellsville Area Community Ministries, and working a spaghetti dinner for a fallen police officer in Greensburg.
"The boys went over and above what we expected for a group in their first year in a new community," said Chip Rowan, Executive Director of the Connellsville Arena Community Ministries. "Our regular volunteers appreciated the extra strong backs for unloading the food trucks," he said. "And the kids loved the teddy bears [from the Teddy Bear Toss] that we put in our Christmas packages."
"It is important that our facility be inviting and well-maintained, both inside and out, and that can be a challenge on a tight budget," added Christy Fusco, Head Librarian at the Uniontown Library. "In this regard, the hard work of the Ice Miners proved invaluable. The Library is looking great."
As hockey players, involvement in the local Fayette Area Youth Hockey Association (FAYHA) was also a big part of the Ice Miners community service this season. Lucas Little and Niko Coffman specifically mentored the bantam team and a handful of other players were involved among the other age groups.
"The FAYHA practices was a really big thing," said Keystone Ice Miners Community Relations Coordinator Lynn Bell. "The kids really look up to these guys as role models. The players were so eager and excited to get out in the community, in general."
With the entire team being so proactive in the community, it was a difficult decision for the coaches for the "community service award," but first year defenseman Lordanthony Grissom got the honor.
Coach Gershon understands that the Ice Miners organization and the surrounding communities have a co-dependent relationship. "By giving back as much as we do, we feel invested in our community as much as the community is invested in us," said Gershon. "Without the help of the community, there would be no team and we want our players to experience that."
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