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Ice Hockey Club and Partners Host 'Hockey is for Everyone' Skating Event

Daytona Beach, Fla., Sept. 7, 2010 -- The National Hockey League’s “Hockey is for Everyone” nationwide program, whose goal is to raise awareness and celebrate the growth of the game, will take local form with a free day of skating and hockey Saturday, Sept. 18, from 10 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. at the Daytona Ice Arena, 2400 S. Ridgewood Ave., South Daytona.

The event is co-sponsored by the student Ice Hockey Club at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and four nonprofit community organizations: the Volusia Youth Hockey Association and the Volusia/Flagler branches of the Boys & Girls Clubs, Easter Seals, and the Y.

Children and adults with and without mobility impairments are invited to attend. Participants may bring a bicycle helmet to wear for protection. Cheering everyone on will be Thunderbug, the mascot of the Tampa Bay Lightning professional hockey team, and some of the Lightning cheerleaders.

Kids can skate on the ice from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m., or play street hockey outside the arena from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., supervised by personnel from the Y.

From 11 a.m. to noon, children can play ice hockey on skates or on specially designed sleds for those with mobility impairments. Everyone who plays will get the chance to wear official hockey garb, such as helmets and padding.

From noon to 1 p.m., a $5 pizza/beverage lunch will be available for purchase. During this time period, the Volusia Youth Hockey Association’s Squirts, a team of 9-year-olds and 10-year-olds, will play a demonstration quarter, the Tampa Bay Lightning’s Sled Hockey Team will give a demonstration, and the student Ice Hockey Club will demonstrate hockey plays and scrimmages.

From 1 p.m. to 3:45 p.m., adults can join the children for open skating.

Reservations are not required. For more information, contact Easter Seals at (386) 255-4568 or info@eseals-vf.org or visit www.easterseals-volusiaflagler.org.

The NHL’s “Hockey is For Everyone” initiative provides support and programming to nonprofit youth hockey organizations across North America that are committed to offering children of all backgrounds and abilities the opportunity to play hockey. To date, “Hockey is for Everyone” has introduced nearly 45,000 boys and girls to unique hockey experiences.

Locally, the goal of the Volusia Youth Hockey Association is to give any child in Volusia and Flagler counties the opportunity to play hockey, in some cases free of charge. Starting at the age of 4, children can learn how to play hockey, enroll in a power skating program, or join a rec hockey league, to name just a few of the available programs.

The Ice Hockey Club at Embry-Riddle was a recent recipient of the University’s Award in Excellence at the Student Activities Award Ceremony, honored for its efforts in raising school spirit and creating lasting traditions since the team was created in 1998. The Ice Hockey Club competes with other club programs in the southern region, including Georgia Tech, University of Central Florida, and University of Florida.

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, the world's largest, fully accredited university specializing in aviation and aerospace, offers more than 30 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in its colleges of Arts and Sciences, Aviation, Business, and Engineering. Embry-Riddle educates more than 34,000 students annually at residential campuses in Daytona Beach, Fla., and Prescott, Ariz., through the Worldwide Campus at more than 150 campuses in the United States, Europe, Asia, Canada, and the Middle East, and through online learning. For more information, visit www.embryriddle.edu.

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Administrative Offices: 600 South Clyde Morris Blvd., Daytona Beach, FL 32114