Road Tour raises money for local hockey

Hockey fans get Wild autographs, hockey associations get benefits

By JEN SEAVEY

Journal Sports Editor

NEW ULM -- Four year old Jacob Amsden stood in line with his father, Brent Amsden, and hundreds of area hockey fans to pay for autographs from members of the Wild Road Tour Wednesday, and the beauty of the situation is that down the line, part of that money will return to him.

Pierre-Marc Bouchard, a Wild player; Neal Broten, a representative of Grass Roots Hockey and former North Stars player; and announcer Tom Reid stopped in New Ulm for two hours on their tour of the state, not only to promote Wild hockey and meet their fans, but to raise money for local hockey associations. With the help of Wells Fargo, which donated goods for concessions, the New Ulm and Sleepy Eye hockey associations were able to split a total of $1,125.

"[The Wild] don't take anything away; it all stays right here," said New Ulm hockey association board member Butch Stark, whose nine- and six-year-old kids play hockey. "When you can bring in the Wild -- the kids always want to meet professionals -- it brings more people out and helps promote the arena."

So Jacob Amsden, who started playing hockey in the Mini Mites league in Sleepy Eye this year and went to his first Wild game with his father, will benefit from the fundraiser in the way of ice time and team equipment. In New Ulm, kids entering the program can also their first hockey stick and skates with the help of the hockey association; in Sleepy Eye, the hockey association makes high school hockey possible.

"The money we use actually helps pay for the program; with the fundraisers, we pay the high school back for the program," Sleepy Eye Hockey Association Treasurer MaryAnn Fischer said. "We need to have fundraising to keep the program going. This will be real beneficial for us."

Fischer also helped the hockey associations raise money by selling raffle tickets at the Wild Road Tour appearance. The winners were Kayla Schlumpberger, Heritagefest tickets, Drew Phaff, Twins tickets; Alexa Fischer, Wild jersey; Natalie Helget, Camp Snoopy tickets; and Jean Osborne, Valleyfair tickets.

New Ulm Eagle girls hockey player Emily Drexler and her younger brother Rodney Drexler, who plays PeeWee hockey, stood in line for close to 45 minutes to have Bouchard and Broten sign a Wild jersey that they share.

"It's an event you don't get to have an opportunity to go to very often," Emily Drexler said.

Both were happy to get the autographs -- especially after the kind of year the Wild had, surprising people by advancing deep into the Stanley Cup playoffs.

"I'm not disappointed," Rodney Drexler said. "They got far -- nobody thought they would get that far."

New Ulm Hockey Association President Doug Portner was happy to hear about the turnout and the amount of money that was raised, but there was one goal that he thought was higher than money.

"Hopefully this will get more kids involved in the program," he said. "Especially with the Wild doing so well."

The Road Tour stopped in Mankato Wednesday, and will continue on to Waseca, Austin, Rochester, Winona, Red Wing and Eau Claire later this week, doing similar fundraisers in those towns.