The fledgling Duluth Area Special and Sled Hockey organization gets an assist from the Minnesota Duluth men's team in a 2 p.m. exhibition benefit game today at the Duluth Heritage Sports Center. The event is free and open to the public.
The organization provides hockey opportunities for those in the Duluth area with physical and developmental disabilities and began last January with the help of Christian Koelling, UMD's director of hockey operations, and Kelly Erickson, assistant professor in occupational therapy at St. Scholastica.
Saturday's event will include photo sessions with UMD's players, exhibits, an on-site silent auction and a game with UMD's players as they get their first experience as a sled hockey team.
The first full season for the Duluth Area Special and Sled Hockey athletes will include approximately two sessions per month at the Heritage Center during the winter, said Koelling. The group has 30-40 participants.
