ICEHOGS RAISE $119,445 FOR CHARITY IN 2011-12

Hogs’ players, mascot, and team personnel also made nearly 200 community appearances

Rockford, Ill.- Despite an action packed 76 game schedule, Rockford IceHogs players, coaches, mascot and other team personnel jumped at every opportunity to give back to the Rockford area during the club’s 13th season of professional hockey.

Overall, the IceHogs helped raise $119,445 through the IceHogs Charitable Foundation, aided by the team’s generous fan base. Topping the list was the 13th Annual Jersey Auction held on March 11 as the club’s annual event brought in $30,312 and added to the 13-year total of over $640,000 raised for local charities, including the Muscular Dystrophy Association, Boys Scouts and Girl Scouts of America, Rockford area Boys and Girls Clubs, Jr. IceHogs and more.

Other fundraising efforts in 2011-12 included the “Pink In The Rink” event on Jan. 28 that raised $21,548 for breast cancer research and awareness, the 3rd annual Bowl-A-Thon benefiting the Sydney Ives Foundation which raised $9,467 and over $40,000 raised through school fundraisers given directly back to the participating schools in the Rockford area.

For the past 13 seasons, the IceHogs have raised over $885,000 through the team’s Charitable Foundation, to give back to local charities.

Hogs’ players, staff members, and the team’s mascot (Hammy) were also busy throughout the campaign as they visited schools, hospitals, hockey practices, and made appearances at various other events in between their 76 game schedule. In all the team made 83 visits during the season and Hammy was seen at over 100 events through the end of April.

Several of the visits were part of the IceHogs adopt-a-school program. For the second straight season the club adopted a school in the Rockford Public School District (RPS205). This season, Lincoln Middle School was the beneficiary as the team made several appearances to the school, including a honor roll bowling party at Cherry Bowl in Rockford involving the whole IceHogs team.

Before winger Brandon Bollig was recalled to the Chicago Blackhawks for the remainder of the 2011-12 season, he organized a reading program at Hillman Elementary through Hockey Players for Kids (HP4K). The program covered seven classrooms, ranging from fourth and fifth grade, and the students at Hillman read and passed quizzes on over 700 books.

Before the season kicked off, the IceHogs and the Rockford Park District teamed up to host the first ever "Birdies and Blades" golf outing at Elliot Golf Course. The golf event brought in $7,500 with all proceeds benefiting youth hockey in Rockford.

The team also made nearly 450 donations to various fundraising efforts and charities throughout the region in 2011-12. In another donation, the club gave over 1,200 stuffed animals to local hospitals and charities after the annual teddy bear toss game on Dec. 3.

For more information on the where Hammy and the IceHogs will be in the community this summer, check out the IceHogs Community Calendar.

Season Tickets for 2012-13 Now on Sale: Season ticket packages for the IceHogs 14th season of professional hockey in Rockford, including sixth as the AHL affiliate of the Chicago Blackhawks, are now on sale. Call (815) 847-6399 to reserve your seats or visit icehogs.com for more information.