Recipients

Kevin Larson was born in 1992 and began his hockey journey back in 1997 in the small town of Bemidji, Minnesota playing against some of the best competition in the country.  Growing up with many lakes around, he became an avid fisherman enjoying the warmer months and honed in his skills on the ice during the winter.  After graduating from Bemidji Senior High School he went on to play …

 On Thursday night we were again reminded of how Dawg Nation got its start. Friends and Teammates of Crissa Doeppke gathered at the infamous Benders Bar & Grill for a hang. Behind the scenes, Hilary McNeish had activated the power of the hockey community and began passing the hat back in July. Hilary, alongside friends Lisa, Stephanie, and Shawn  set out to help their friend with expen…

An absolutely gorgeous day at the University of Denver Golf Club, the perfect setting for the 2022 “Tee it Up for Dawg Nation” event.  Although golf was on everyone’s mind, GIVING BACK was the theme of day.  The Tayloe family were the beneficiary of this years tournament, and it was a great success.  With Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar in attendance we were able to collectively lend a helpin…

AN UNWELCOME DIAGNOSIS RETURNS Justin was recently diagnosed with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia affecting his spleen. This is the second time in his life to have cancer. The first time was when he was 4. Born and raised in Des Moines, Iowa, “J Wall” overcame leukemia in his childhood and found hockey. He fell in love with the sport and played for Arvada Youth Hockey, De…

It was quite a day in Belleville, Illinois as the St Louis Dawgs hosted an amazing Cornhole event and lifted up yet another family! 10 year old Mason Venegoni is young goalie that recently underwent surgery to remove a brain tumor. The surgery was a difficult but successful one and this little goaltender is now on the road to recovery! Now the “no coincidences” part! Former St Lou…

The Hagen family is one that epitomizes the vision of Dawg Nation. Chris contributes his time in the hockey community, giving back through coaching. They all live their lives to the fullest each and every day. A few years ago, the Hagen’s were blessed with their first child, Wilder. Wilder was born with Cerebral Palsy, and while these fantastic people continue to live their best lives, they…

The Berntsen’s are another incredible family who have made such an impact within their community. Mary has been part of Soda Creek for numerous years, helping guide the Yampa Valley youth through elementary school. Lars and James were both graduates from the Yampa Valley school system. And then there is Scott. Scott lost his battle with Brain Cancer just over a year and a half ago. It was a…

An Electric Night! Dawg Nation packed the bar at SoBo 151 to witness Angie Petersen and the women’s hockey community put their collective arms around a “beacon of light” named Sarah Karr. Sarah is battling pancreatic cancer and literally never stopped smiling all night! The night was fun, emotional, electric and simply amazing! We were honored to present Sarah with a check for $26,000 to lift …

At the time of Dawg Bowl, Tammy was not in well enough health to join us in person for a very big surprise. However, with some secret coordination between family members and friends, we were able to surprise Tammy via FaceTime during the opening moments of the Survivor Game. She was overjoyed and overwhelmed with the amount of love and support. The Dawg Nation Survivors skated in Tammy’s ho…

A Celebrity Size Surprised  Julie and her family were asked to stand rink side for the surprise of a lifetime. At the end of a Dawg Bowl XII match up, Marty, Mike and Jan Hejda presented Julie with her own Survivor game jersey and a check for $10,000 to support Julie’s fight with cancer. Julie was overwhelmed with love and support. The Dawg Nation family continues to stand by Julie as she …

A Surprise Stage Announcement  During a beautiful afternoon of Dawg Bowl XII, Dawg Nation surprised Becky Gartman with a check for $5,000. Becky was as diagnosed at the end of 2021 with Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and still fighting her battle. She is currently undergoing chemo and hopefully with good scans will be done with treatment soon. Dawg Nation will continue to stand by Becky in the fig…

A HIT AND RUN David Fancher, a local Colorado firefighter and longtime, local hockey player was recently injured during a hit and run crash while on scene in Adams County. A stolen vehicle crashed into his firetruck while tending to an unrelated incident. David suffered major head trauma and was rushed to a local hospital for treatment. A LIFE LONG LOVE OF HOCKEY David grew up in the sma…