Banners v Crush: Ice hockey for a good cause under the Mimi Dome in Baltimore’s Patterson Park

Starting in the late 1990s, the Baltimore Youth Hockey Club sponsored a weekend hockey experience for less fortunate children and high-risk teens in Baltimore. They were known as the Patterson Park Stars, and they skated for free in donated equipment at the “Mimi Dome,” the rink in Patterson Park named after the late City Councilman, Dominic “Mimi” DiPietro. The non-profit club and its volunteers supported the program for at least 16 years.

The person who took on the task of getting many of the children to the rink each Sunday was Noel Acton, who founded his own nonprofit, The Tender Bridge, in 2003. Noel, a real community hero, kept the kids on ice for years, and three years ago, the National Hockey League honored him for his efforts. You can learn more about Noel from this Baltimore Sun story by Ed Lee, a gift read.

The kids now skate as the Baltimore Banners, under the Tender Bridge auspices. To support the program, there’s a GoFundMe page tied to an exhibition game coming up on Feb. 16 at 11 am. So if you want to help the Tender Bridge keep the kids on the ice, please consider a donation to Bridge The Gap. And if you want to see the game between the Banners and the Charm City Crush women’s team, come to the Mimi Dome on Valentine’s weekend. Maybe I’ll see you there.

The fundraiser plea: “Join us as we honor the women who are changing the sport of hockey and the young men and women in East Baltimore who are changing the game of life with character, pride, integrity and resilience.”