The Columbus Mavericks took part in their inaugural Veterans Day game this past Friday as they played host to the Wooster Oilers in a Great Lakes division contest. In what turned out to be a success both on and off the ice, the Mavs added one to the win column while raising funds and awareness for veteran causes.

The festivities for Friday night’s game started well before face-off as the Mavs hosted a reception for local area veterans and active-duty service members at OhioHealth Chiller North. As guests enjoyed a dinner provided by local sponsor, Romeo’s Pizza, they also got an opportunity to meet the Mavericks’ players who passed through the reception before heading into the locker room to prepare for their upcoming contest.

As the Mavs took the ice for warmups, they sported special camouflage uniforms that featured a unique stars and stripes version of the team logo. Each player honored one of the six military branches, as their jerseys carried ARMY, NAVY, AIR FORCE, MARINES, SPACE FORCE, or COAST GUARD, in place of their usual name plate. Prior to the opening face-off, the Mavs paused to honor our men and women in uniform with a presentation of the flag by the Delaware City Schools Junior ROTC Color Guard and the playing of Taps by BJ Hobson and Caleb Caldwell from Grove City High School.

After the open ceremonies wrapped up, the Mavericks wasted little time firing up their offense, as they scored 4 unanswered goals in the opening period. The second period would result in a 1-1 draw as the Oilers scored their lone goal of the game at the 15:40 mark. The Mavs would put the icing on the cake as they scored three goals in the final period to take home an 8-1 victory over their Great Lakes division rivals.

Following the game, the Mavericks auctioned off their limited edition Veterans Day jerseys to raise money for the Mission 22 organization, which provides support to veterans and active duty service members and their families, while working to put an end to veteran suicide. Over the course of the weekend, bids from Mavericks fans poured in, helping the team raise thousands of dollars that will be donated to Mission 22.