‘Hockey in the Swamp’ special needs tournament set at BGSU

Black Swamp Ice Frogs practice at BGSU Ice Arena in 2018.

(Submitted by Black Swamp Ice Frogs)

Black Swamp Ice Frogs are pleased to announce the 2020 Hockey in the Swamp Special Needs Hockey Tournament. The tournament, which is being held on Saturday, March 14, and Sunday, March 15, at the Slater Family Ice Arena on the campus of Bowling Green State University, is the first tournament of this kind in Bowling Green.

We have teams coming from Ohio, Michigan, Indiana and Pennsylvania for this event. The tournament, sponsored by Bowling Green Community Foundation, Calphalon, Whitacre Intermodal Owens IML, Cara & Curtis Bates, and Screen Printed Products, is open to the public with free admission for everyone.

There will be 14 hockey games played over the two days on the main ice and multipurpose ice.

Teams include the host – Black Swamp Ice Frogs, as well as Cincinnati Cyclones, Detroit Motor City Stars, Pittsburgh Emperors, Columbus Blue Jackets, Indy Twisters, and Cleveland Rockin’ Wildcats.

There will be raffles for items throughout the tournament and tournament shirts will be available for purchase. On Saturday evening, there will be a dance party with DJ Maudie Gonzalez-Perry and a Pagliai’s pizza party exclusively for all the teams’ players with their family members and the event volunteers.

The Black Swamp Ice Frogs is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping individuals with developmental challenges learn the game of hockey in a no-contact format. Players learn the skill of skating, using a stick, hitting the puck, and most of all the ability to play on a team. 

The Ice Frogs practice on Sundays from October through March at the Slater Family Ice Arena and participate in three to four hockey tournaments through the year. For more information on how to join the team or volunteer, go to Black Swamp Ice Frogs on Facebook.

For more information on this event, contact Aaron Owens at 419-494-4362 or aowens@owensiml.com.