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San Diego Gulls

San Diego Gulls To Host Annual Hockey Is For Everyone Night This Saturday, March 18

March 16, 2023 - American Hockey League (AHL)
San Diego Gulls News Release


SAN DIEGO - The San Diego Gulls announced today that the American Hockey League (AHL) club will host its second annual Hockey is For Everyone™ Night on Saturday, Mar. 18 when the club faces the Iowa Wild at Pechanga Arena San Diego (7 p.m.). The Gulls will celebrate Hockey Is For Everyone™ to help raise awareness for diverse groups in hockey, as well as drive positive social change and foster more inclusive communities within the sport.

Throughout the evening, the Gulls will recognize the San Diego Ducks Sled Hockey Team, consisting of disabled and able-bodied athletes ages five and older, including active-duty military and veterans; the San Diego Gulls Special Hockey Team, an athlete-centered hockey program for children and adults with developmental disabilities; and Blake Steinecke of the United States National Blind Hockey Team, an athlete with a visual impairment who competes for the United States of America in international hockey competition.

The San Diego Gulls Special Hockey Team, which will be honored with a of a donation of $1,000 from the San Diego Gulls Foundation as the evening's Community Spotlight, will begin the pre-game ceremony with Gulliver and the Gulls Girls by welcoming the players as they skate onto the ice. Marley Sommer, son of Gulls head coach Roy Sommer and a beloved member of the Gulls locker room, will then represent all people in the hockey community living with Down Syndrome by singing the National Anthem.

Steinecke, a member of the United States National Blind Hockey Team, will take part in a ceremonial puck drop with one of the adapted pucks utilized by U.S. Blind Hockey. These specialized pucks are made of metal and are filled with ball bearings that enable players to locate it using sound.

In addition, the San Diego Ducks Sled Hockey Team will compete in a 5v5 scrimmage during the first intermission. Sarah Bettencourt, a retired U.S. Marine Corps Captain, member of the U.S. Women's Sled Hockey Team and two-time Para Surfing World Champion, founded the team in 2014 after permanent neurological damage forced her to retire from service. Bettencourt, who also serves as the team's Director of Hockey Operations, Adult Team Manager and Captain, will also partake in the scrimmage.

The San Diego Gulls Foundation will host an online puck sale, with select player-signed Hockey Is For Everyone pucks available at sandiegogulls.com/auction. In addition, the Gulls Foundation will hold a Hockey Is For Everyone Surprise Puck Sale. Surprise Pucks ($20) are available on the concourse at the Gulls Foundation table at Section 10. Pucks are selected at random, with five surprise pucks including an additional gift of either Gulls player-signed memorabilia or Gulls merchandise (limit five pucks per person). Proceeds will benefit the San Diego Ducks Sled Hockey and San Diego Gulls Special Hockey Teams.

Tickets for Hockey Is For Everyone™ Night are still available. Individual game tickets can be purchased through sandiegogulls.com/tickets, by calling (844) GO GULLS or in person at the Pechanga Arena San Diego Box Office. Tickets sold at the box office are first-come, first-served.

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