When the Cincinnati IceBreakers first formed in 2007, the sled hockey organization didn’t have many resources to help players new to the sport with their equipment needs.
Some of the equipment came from a youth hockey organization that donated items, but that wasn’t always suitable for some of the adults. There was also funding from a few donors and through a USA Hockey program that provided sleds.
Still, there wasn’t a whole lot there in that first season.
“When we started, it was just trying to figure out how we could survive,” said Frank Yantek, the founder of the IceBreakers.
Fast-forward to 2025 and the IceBreakers, thanks to a local investment advisory firm, are now able to help other similar organizations in Cincinnati find their financial footing.
That rags-to-not-quite-riches story does have a fairy godmother to thank. That would be FEG, an employee-owned company that has made community a big part of its mission for more than 35 years of existence in the Queen City.
The bond that brought the IceBreakers and FEG together is a love of hockey as well as a private club, Indian Hill Winter Club in Camp Dennison, Ohio, a northeastern suburb of Cincinnati.
Yantek, whose son was born with spina bifida and loves hockey, is a member at Indian Hill. So, too, are Greg Dowling and Keith Berlin. Dowling is the chief investment officer at FEG and Berlin the firm’s director of research.
Casual hockey games among FEG employees grew into competitive contests and eventually an annual game that drew managers from rival companies from across the country.
“People really liked it, and they said, 'Why don't you guys add a charity to this?'” Berlin said.
Noting the extra expenses needed for sled hockey, FEG connected with Yantek and the IceBreakers. The donations started out relatively small, with the ask being $100 to play in what is now known as the FEG Hockey Classic. Berlin said annual donations from the charity game were in the $15,000 to $20,000 range.
The Hockey Classic erupted into a curling session in the morning with a Bloody Mary bar, a lunch, then two games — the first being a more casual one, with the second being the main attraction with all of the top competitive players — and a dinner to cap off the day.
This year’s game included former NHL draft pick Kenny Smith, who was one of five ex-Harvard players on the ice, and another who had just finished playing in the AHL. Smith was a third-round selection by the Edmonton Oilers in 2001.
Berlin hams up the event by dressing up as Phil Pritchard, the famous “Keeper of the Cup”, featuring white gloves and a wig to hand out the trophy to the winners.
Another part of this year’s tournament was the presence of Jack O’Callahan, a member of the 1980 “Miracle on Ice” team. O’Callahan came in the day before the event, participated in the draft of teams and dropped the ceremonial puck. Another special guest was Para athlete Jason Fowler, a two-time Ironman world champion in handcycling who just competed in his 21st Boston Marathon.
The result has been a boon to the IceBreakers. FEG raised $93,000 last year and $125,000 this year, which was the seventh edition of the Hockey Classic. That does wonders for the IceBreakers, who are relatively isolated from other sled hockey programs, with the closest being more than 100 miles away.
Now, the IceBreakers’ Monday practice is 90 minutes instead of 60 and they practice from September until April instead of October to February. Previously, the IceBreakers would hold a final practice in February yet still compete in a season-ending tournament in April.
Other benefits the IceBreakers are able to provide thanks to the Hockey Classic are transportation, covering travel expenses and upgrading equipment, Yantek said.
With more people finding out about the program, the IceBreakers have grown to have a youth team and an adult team, each with their own jerseys.
The IceBreakers also have a team slated to compete at the 2025 USA Hockey Sled National Championships in Coral Springs, Florida, on May 1-4.
“When you have a child with a disability — or in your family, even adults with [a disability] — there's so much more cost, even if you have good insurance involved, in doing things for your home,” Yantek said. “To be able to get them in and out of the house, any adaptations that you need to make, medical expenses, not all of them are covered. So, there's very limited amounts of money that people have for their kids to participate in the sport.”
Another of the untold benefits is the players being able to get away for a weekend tournament and enjoying being around one another and developing social skills in that environment.
“They make lifetime friendships through all this with people they never would have met,” Yantek said.
Among the players that have come through the IceBreakers program include Ben Musselman, who has won a gold and silver medal with the U.S. at the last two World Para Ice Hockey Championships, and Jamie Benassi, who is on the U.S. women’s development sled team.
The Hockey Classic will continue to grow, and with much of the IceBreakers’ needs being met, FEG and the IceBreakers are reaching out to other hockey programs in the area, one being for blind players and the other being for those with special needs.
Dowling said that when he travels to conferences and other industry events, people are often talking about what FEG does for the IceBreakers. He called the growth of the event “insane.” Still, it comes back to giving an opportunity to the IceBreakers to do something they love.
“It's amazing. I've done it before,” Dowling said of playing sled hockey. “I've watched them play. They always have an event at the end of the year where they play, and they've invited me to play and be a part of that. And it's really hard. It's all your arms. It's like so hard on your biceps and the balance. What always amazes me with what they do is kind of like in basketball, where you can kind of change directions and shield the ball from the defender by going through your legs. They go through the sled, one hand to the other, while they're moving. It's amazing. I don't know how they do it.”
Story from Red Line Editorial, Inc.
Source: usahockey.com