TOLEDO, Ohio — The playoffs are fast approaching for the Toledo Walleye, who have four games remaining in the regular season.
On Wednesday, the Walleye participated in their routine morning skate to help prepare ahead of Friday's game against the Cincinnati Cyclones. But a few players stayed after to help score a different kind of goal, bigger than any on the scoresheet.
Through a partnership between the Walleye and Ohio Council of Community Schools (OCCS), a "Player for a Day" event took place to provide K-12 students an inside look at the sport of hockey and its industry.
"These students don't get a lot of in-person experiences," Julia Thompson, with Ohio Digital Learning School, said. "We're really grateful for OCCS and the Toledo Walleye for offering this opportunity to gain physical exposure."
Around a dozen kids from online learning institutions Ohio Digital Learning School and Ohio Virtual Academy converged on Toledo from all over the state.
Reagan McCormick perhaps had the easiest trip, as she and her family drove up from Rossford.
"It's a really cool experience to be able to be a hockey player and have a jersey and all that," Reagan said.
She told WTOL 11 Sports that Walleye games are fun to watch as a fan, but getting a chance to be on the other side of the glass offered a whole new perspective.
"It's a lot different. You see the players and now we're down here acting like a player basically," Reagan said. "It's really cool being able to stand on the ice and play on the ice."
Now, the fun didn't stop with the kids.
Walleye forward and captain John Albert joined a few of his teammates to help teach the fundamentals of the game.
"It's very rewarding for us," Albert said. "It's nice to get out here and teach kids who wouldn't ordinarily get a chance to play hockey, teach them the game and experience it."
He couldn't help but notice how quickly the kids were picking up the sport.
"They've done a great job. A couple of them were actually lifting the puck," Albert said. "For their first time shooting at a net, that's pretty challenging, so that was good to see."
Interacting with Walleye players capped off a busy day for the students. They also got to tour the arena, meet the team's mascot Spike, and even get their own jersey and sign a contract.
This is the third time the Walleye have partnered to host "Player for a Day" but it's the first occurrence since the onset pandemic in which students could participate.
"They loved meeting Spike, they were so excited," Thompson said. "He came out when we were eating lunch and signed everybody's jerseys, which really got them excited for the hockey portion."
An intervention specialist for ODLS, Thompson emphasized the importance of having trips like this for kids who are enrolled in virtual learning.
"Just get out and have some fun," Thompson said. "It's such a novel experience for them that they wouldn't be able to get anywhere else."