M2 Announces Community Service Award Winner

Troy, Michigan (4/23/2023 ) The American Collegiate Hockey Association is proud to recognize Montclair State University as the 2022/2023 Men's Division 2 Community Service Award Recipient. 

   Over the last 25 years, Montclair State University's Men's Hockey Team has prided itself on its reputation in the community. This year, the team began their initiatives early on. In August, the team partnered with Team Impact, which is an organization that pairs collegiate athletic programs with children with disabilities in their community. The Red Hawks were introduced to Mark Sapp, a 10-year-old boy from Wayne, NJ. Mark was born with cerebral palsy and has limited mobile ability. This has not hindered Marks fighting spirit as he is a member of the NJ Daredevils Hockey Club where he uses a sled to compete in the game that he has a clear passion for. The leadership committee and coaching staff initially met with Mark and his mother Caren via Zoom to help build familiarity. From there it did not take long for Mark and the team to form a clear bond.  Since August, Mark has skated with the team several times, met over Zoom, and has attended multiple games, both home and away, to support the team. In December, the team officially signed Mark to the team during a contract signing celebration at Montclair State Arena. This ceremony was coupled with a public skating session and pizza party where the team presented Mark with his official Montclair State Jersey and holiday gifts. Mark has become part of the Red Hawk family and will continue to be a familiar face around the team.

   In October the team sponsored and hosted the 2nd Annual Justin Kingston Memorial Golf Outing. Justin Kingston was a co-worker of a former hockey player and alumni of Montclair State at the United States Secret Service. Justin succumbed to his battle with depression in July of 2020. Justin served in the U.S. Marine Reserves in Iraq and Afghanistan prior to serving in the U.S.S.S. Over the last two years, the team has paired itself with the Mission 22 Foundation which is an organization that assists U.S. Military Veterans with medical issues, mental health, job placement, and a variety of other issues presented to our military veterans after their service to the country is concluded. Through two golf outings, the team has raised over $3,300 for the organization and will continue to keep Justin's memory alive annually by raising money for veteran programs and donating it in Justin's name.

   Through this service project, the team has also branched off with the NJ Warriors Veteran's Hockey Team as well. The Red Hawks have volunteered their time in a number of ways to assist the NJ Warriors program. They have assisted in running practices, held scrimmages with them to prepare them for various tournaments, and joined them in their service efforts to give back to the community. Several players have become close friends with members of the Warriors program and connect often with them outside of any planned or structured event.  

   In addition to everything listed above, the team has been heavily involved with volunteering as coaches for in-house programs at their arena. Several members of the team coach at the U10 and U12 levels. This has also led to some team members coaching at clinics and being common faces around the arena. So much so, when a young member of the hockey community was diagnosed with a brain tumor in January, the team sprang into action to raise funds to assist the family with their already mounting medical bills. The team quickly organized a fundraiser for Dominic. The team members volunteered their time on February 5th and 6th and offered skating lessons on public sessions in exchange for a donation of $10.00 or more per 15-minute lesson. The team helped raise $2,000.00 in one weekend to be donated to Dominic's family and plans on continuing their efforts throughout the spring and summer.

 

Montclair State, along with the award recipients from each of the ACHA's five divisions, will have a chance to be named the ACHA National Community Service Award winner at the 2023 ACHA Annual Meeting in Naples at the end of April.