School Day at the Rink
- reekinhavoc
- Feb 19
- 4 min read
Above photos by Laura Pitts – Reekin’ Havoc Podcast
School Day at the Rink
Huntsville area schools experience a morning of Havoc Hockey
by Laura Pitts
Feb. 18, 2026 – The sound was deafening as the lights dimmed at the Von Braun Civic Center and the image of the Huntsville Havoc hockey players glowed on the Jumbotron.
At 10 a.m. on a Wednesday morning, it wasn’t your typical hockey game.
All season long, the Huntsville Havoc have been playing in front of large, sometimes sold out, crowds. However, this time the crowd was filled with elementary school children enjoying a morning at the ice rink.
4,430 kids to be exact.
Sponsored by the U. S. Space and Rocket Center, the annual Havoc School Showcase Day brought elementary students from the Huntsville area to watch hockey in action.
“It was really great to show the kids the sport that we love so much,” said Havoc forward Ethan Lindsay. “They definitely brought the energy, and we wanted to make sure we gave them an experience they wouldn’t forget and hopefully recruit some new hockey fans!”
The kids were treated to a full hockey game experience. Mascots Chaos and Ruckus also joined in the fun, greeting students and taking pictures. Announcers Clay Coleman (aka “Freak Daddy”) and Drey were also there to interact between periods and hype up the crowd. For intermission fun, the U. S. Space and Rocket Center provided some educational entertainment about how rockets fly. Students were also given an educational workbook full of hockey facts and activities.
The Havoc played a two period scrimmage game, Red Team against White Team, and ended the event with a full period of shootouts. In the end, the White team won, 8 – 7.
Former Havoc forward Alex Kielczewksi served as game referee.
And, the best part? The kids even got to see a fight.
“Of course we had to give them the full hockey experience!” said Lindsay. “Lindy and I thought a fight would be the perfect play, and it seemed like the kids loved it.”
For these kids it was more than just a day out of the classroom. It was, for many of them, the first time they had ever watched a hockey game.
Gavin Ridgway, a fourth grade teacher at Brindlee Mountain Elementary School, has always loved the game of hockey and is a big Havoc hockey fan. She knew this was an event she wanted to her students to experience.
“The majority of my students have never been to a hockey game and may never get the chance to do so,” said Ridgway. “Before we went my students kept telling me they weren’t sure they were going to have fun and didn’t know if they really wanted to go.”
Of course all of that changed once the lights went down and the boys took to the ice.
“Almost immediately after we got there and they got to experience the energy and the atmosphere, they started changing their tune. I had one student look at me and say, “‘Now I see why you love this!” she said.
Ridgway and the other Brindlee Mountain fourth grade teachers brought 80 students.
“My students asked me all sorts of questions throughout, like who are my favorite players, who scores the most and who likes to fight (of course). Then Lindsay started a “fight” and they were amazed,” said Ridgway.
Sonnie Hereford Elementary School brought 150 students, 21 of which were part of Havoc fan Tina Rainwater’s third grade class.
“For many of them, this was an opportunity they might not have had otherwise,” said Rainwater. ” Watching them cheer, learning a new sport, and light up with excitement made it unforgettable.”
And for the Wolf Pack? Well, they looked like they were having the time of their life. All smiles, playing a scrimmage game with their best friends and showing smaller versions of themselves the very sport they have made part of their lives. Blink twice and it might make a person think these boys were back at their own childhood rinks, enjoying the sport like youngsters.
Arena announcer Clay Coleman has worked with the Huntsville Havoc organization for 20 years now, and said they are always looking at ways to do outreach to the community and grow the Havoc brand.
“This event does both! It gives something different, fun and educational for the schools to attend and an opportunity to introduce hockey to our youth and hopefully create future fans of the Huntsville Havoc,” said Coleman.
And for next year? Ridgway is excited to share the experience with a new crop of kids.
“This is definitely a field trip my kids will never forget and we plan to come back again next year!” she said.
Above photos by Laura Pitts – Reekin’ Havoc Podcast
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