Recipients

A lifetime hockey player… It was a spectacular day at Family Sports as the Arapahoe Hockey community allowed us to be part of an emotional tribute to Chris Stockert. Chris was a long time Arapahoe Hockey coach, teammate, friend, devoted husband and father. Chris’ life was cut short on April 5th leaving behind his loving wife Annette and two sons, Tillman and Easton. Today we were bl…

A collision on the ice… Another highlight at the DAWG Bowl was the opportunity to recognize Lucas O’Connor as one of our recent recipients. Lucas is a hard working college student who referees hockey games as a way to off-set his bills and enjoy the game he loves. Earlier this year Lucas was refereeing a high school game when he suffered a serious leg injury. Although he knew it was bad hi…

A new baby’s health problems… As a member of the 82nd Airborne, Justin Kresh gave five years of his life and much more to his beloved country. After the completion of Justin’s service, this young family welcomed a second son named Talon. Talon entered the world with some serious health complications that nearly ended his life. Thanks to some amazing doctors and a loving family, Talon i…

An incident on the ice… Tanner Doty is a local hockey player and coach. During a game, he had trouble breathing and went to the locker room with shortness of breath. Paramedics were called and at first it was thought Tanner had suffered a heart attack. It was actually an infection around Tanner’s heart. The good news…Tanner has recovered. The DAWGs led by Cap, board member Mike Freema…

An injury on the ice… Ryan is a familiar face in the Colorado hockey community. He always greets you with a smile and hug and never asks for anything. This past year was a rough one as a hockey injury resulted in a torn ACL/MCL and reconstructive knee surgery. Coupled with a car accident, missed work and lots of medical bills, Ryan could really use a lift to get back on his feet. Th…

Pierce Grandchamp is a remarkable young man that recently had his custom sled stolen out of his truck. Tonight we included the boys in helping out a fellow sled player by providing Pierce with a check for $5,000 which he’ll use to replace his beloved sled so he can get back on the ice and get back to doing what he loves!

It’s been said that a picture is worth a thousand words, but I’m not sure that either photos or words will be sufficient to capture the emotions that were felt during one of the most memorable Survivor Games yet to be played. From the heart wrenching silence as tribute was paid to each Humboldt player, coach and support staff that lost their life in the tragic collision that took place last Apr…

Bryan Lukasezck, his wife Scarlet, and their daughter Aspen have been a youth hockey family for almost all of 12 yr old Aspen’s life, with Aspen skating, Bryan coaching, and mom Scarlet never missing a chance to cheer them on from the stands. Last July their family had a big scare. After several months of symptoms, Scarlet was diagnosed with a meningioma (for the rest of us, that’s a type of br…

A friend in need… Dave Martinez recently had a heart attack at home after a hockey game, with apparently genetics the reason behind the heart attack. He took an ambulance to the hospital and then a flight to another hospital that was a better fit for his high end medical need. The DAWGs were at it again last night!! Dave Martinez is a gentleman is every sense of the word and is alwa…

A tragedy on the ice… Lenny was involved in all youth and adult sports in the Cheyenne community as an official. While officiating a Men’s League hockey game on 10/07/2018, he suffered and died from an apparent heart attack. He leaves behind a wife, Joanne, and two grown children, Alex and Jane. Lenny was a high school special education teacher who had intended to retire at the end of the …

Matt Martinez is a single father of two sons and one of the most unselfish people you’ll ever meet as witnessed by the donation of one of his kidneys to Dave “D-REP” Repsher. This unbelievable gesture changed Dave’s life and has helped him continue to live life to it’s fullest. Unfortunately Matt had his share of health issues following the organ donation and that’s where DAWG Nation steppe…

A tragic event. Don Graham was a long time Denver-area official, scheduler and former board member with CIHRA. Don also officiated in Wyoming and his home-state of Montana. He moved back to Montana just a year and half ago following a change in employment. Don is married to wife, Jana, and has two boys Dustin and Tanner. Dustin is a Denver-area official. Tanner lives with his mother in Monta…