Jan. 26, 2016

NOTRE DAME, Ind. — The Notre Dame hockey team has teamed up with Defending the Blue Line (DTBL) to help raise funds for children in military families who need assistance to play youth hockey.

As part of the fundraiser, the No. 9/10 Irish will wear special warm-up jerseys before Friday night’s game versus fifth-ranked Boston College at the Compton Family Arena (Jan. 29). Puck drop is scheduled for 7:35 p.m. and the game will be televised by CSN Chicago and streamed via NBC Sports Live Extra.

The jerseys will then be auctioned off, with all of the proceeds going to Defending The Blue Line. The jerseys feature the interlocking ND logo and camouflage numbers, along with a DTBL patch on each sleeve. The jerseys will be auctioned off at .

Based in Hastings, Minnesota, Defending the Blue Line is a national non-profit organization that raises money to ensure that children of military members are afforded every opportunity to participate in the game of hockey. The organization provides free equipment for military kids, hockey camps, special events, and financial assistance for registration fees and other costs associated with hockey.

Representatives from DTBL will be at the game promoting the organization in conjunction with the team’s annual military fundraising game. A number of special events are planned, including the unfurling of a giant American flag by members of the Notre Dame Tri-Military ROTC unit.

Indiana National Guard Private First Class Caleb Owens of Elkhart, Indiana will perform the National anthem.

An EOD bomb robot will perform a ceremonial puck drop with each team’s captain, including Notre Dame senior captain Steven Fogarty, whose father, William, is a retired U.S. Navy Admiral and whose brother, Charles, is also in the Navy. Fogarty, an Edina, Minnesota native, spearheaded Notre Dame’s involvement with DTBL this season. It will be the first time an EOD bomb robot will be used at a Division I college hockey game for the ceremonial puck drop.

Joe Kernan, the 48th Governor of Indiana, Navy Lieutenant, Notre Dame Alumnus and Vietnam Prisoner of War will be honored during the Fighting Irish Salute recognition, which takes place at every Hockey Night in South Bend.

Additional funds will be raised during the first Intermission from “Chuck-a-Puck,” during which a military ATV will be parked on the ice. Fans can purchase a puck for $5 and the pucks closest to center ice will win a prize pack.

— ND —

Dan Colleran, associate athletics communications director at the University of Notre Dame, has been a part of Fighting Irish Media since August 2015 and coordinates all media and publicity efforts surrounding the Notre Dame hockey and men’s golf programs. A native of Walpole, Massachusetts, Colleran spent the previous three years working with the men’s hockey and soccer programs at Providence College. Colleran also spent two years as an Assistant Executive Director of Communications & Championships at the Ivy League and is a graduate of Providence College (’06 & ’08G).