Columbus, GA – The Chattahoochee Valley Warriors hosted the Atlanta Warriors today at the Veteran’s Day Classic at the Columbus Ice Rink in front of a full house.
The Chattahoochee Valley Warriors and Atlanta Warriors, each team comprised of Veterans, put on an exciting match up for those in attendance. The Chattahoochee Valley Warriors, working to promote “Healing through Hockey”, and with support from the Columbus Ice Rink and GallantFew, hosted the first of two games at the 2nd Annual “Veterans Day Classic”.
The term “Healing Through Hockey” is one that veterans of the Chattahoochee Valley Warriors live by. Healing through hockey has given many members of the organization an opportunity to create new connections with other veterans in a safe, challenging, and productive environment on the ice, after having served in the US military. It provides newly separated service members “an opportunity to find new purpose. When I left the service, I struggled for a long time to find meaningful connections with other people. When I joined the Chattahoochee Valley Warriors, I flourished. It’s made a major difference in my life”, commented Rich Fuller, who played tonight as the right winger for Chattahoochee Valley.
Both Warriors teams took the ice and the game was underway.
In the first period, John Bennett, David Hartle, and Dale Miller scored in a CV Warriors-dominated first period, ending the first frame of play with the CV Warriors ahead, 3-0.
The second period showed a strong effort from both Warrior teams, but only Atlanta found the back of the net. Jason Hansen put Atlanta on the board, and Nicholas Shelow helped to close the gap as well.
Chattahoochee Valley made a strong offensive effort, but could not find the back of the net. The second frame ended with the CV Warriors holding their lead, 3-2.
The final frame was an absolute battle for control of the puck, making both teams pretty heated. Jim Clapham, after being pushed from behind in front of his net, slashed his offender, ending up with a 2-minute slashing minor, plus a 10 minute misconduct for unsportsmanlike conduct, putting Chattahoochee Valley at the disadvantage.
Atlanta took off, scoring three times on a short-handed Chattahoochee Valley squad.
The game ended in favor of the Atlanta Warriors, 5-4.
