DAWG Nation Hockey Foundation - Midwest

06/06/2026

Meet Your Host: Guy Schafer

Guy brings quick wit, big energy, and genuine heart to every event he touches. As the voice of Slapstick Hockey, he keeps crowds laughing, engaged, and reminded that hockey heals.

In May, Guy suffered a sudden heart attack and was life‑flighted to Vanderbilt University Hospital, where doctors placed three stents and diagnosed him with type 2 diabetes. With discipline and a renewed focus on his health, he’s made a strong recovery and carries a deeper appreciation for every moment.

On June 13th, as Host of the DAWG Nation Survivor Game, Guy leads with gratitude, warmth, and the message at the core of this event — no one skates alone.

06/06/2026

We’re less than a week away from kicking off Gateway DAWG Bowl IV, and we could use a few more helping hands — especially scorekeepers. If you’re able to volunteer, we’d love to have you.

The scorekeeping sign‑up link is in the comments.

We’ll also need a few volunteers for the Survivor Game. If you’re interested in helping with that, just send us an email or a message here.

Scorekeeper volunteers are essential to keeping our charity tournament running smoothly. These volunteers operate the game clocks and help ensure each matchup stays organized and on track. By giving your time, you directly support our mission and help us raise critical funds for families in need.

06/05/2026

Thank you to everyone who’s followed along with our Survivor Game player spotlights. Your support and your encouragement mean more than you know. This community always shows up!

06/05/2026

Meet Patrick Donnelly

Patrick will be taking the ice in our Survivor Game on June 13th — a moment made possible by the call that changed his life. After years of battling Congestive Heart Failure and Cardiomyopathy, months in the Cardiac ICU, and surviving on an LVAD while waiting on the transplant list.

For four long years, every sunrise meant one thing: keep fighting until a new heart arrives.

Then, in April 2023, the miracle happened. Patrick got the call. A donor heart was ready. A second chance was waiting. Stepping onto the ice isn’t just symbolic — it’s the celebration of the moment that gave him his life back.Read his full story in the comments.

06/05/2026

Meet Bill Owens
Bill will be taking the ice in our Survivor Game on June 13th — skating as a father, a veteran, and a man whose strength has been shaped by the challenges his family has faced together. A proud Air Force veteran and one of DAWG Nation’s most dedicated ambassadors, Bill has spent years lifting up others in their hardest moments.

But one of the defining chapters of his life came when his son Wyatt Owens was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma at just 18 years old. Bill stood beside him through every treatment and every setback, watching Wyatt choose the toughest path — compressing more than a year of chemo into three grueling months — and fight his way to remission.

When Bill steps onto the ice, he skates to honor Wyatt’s fight, to celebrate the resilience within his family, and to stand with the community he’s poured his heart into.Read his full story in the comments.

06/05/2026

Meet Gary Woolard (Goalie)
Gary will be taking the ice in our Survivor Game on June 13th — a moment that represents years of refusing to accept limits. His story isn’t defined by one setback, but by a lifetime of getting knocked down and choosing to stand back up.

In 2014, after a major hip resurfacing surgery, Gary was told he’d never play again. He laced up 59 days later. In 2021, he suffered a STEMI heart attack — one of the most dangerous kinds — and fought his way back. By 2023, he faced bi‑lateral total knee replacements, and once again heard the words “your playing days are over.” Eleven months later, he was back on the ice skating with ECHL‑level players.

During that same stretch, doctors discovered Stage 2 melanoma on his upper arm. Surgery removed the cancer and a lymph node, and on July 3rd he got the call every patient hopes for: no spread, no further treatment needed. He remains cancer‑free today.

Gary doesn’t just return — he rises. He shows what it looks like to meet every challenge with heart, and a love for the game that never fades.

He skates in the Survivor Game to celebrate resilience, to honor the people who helped him through each battle, and to prove that the human spirit can outskate anything.Read his full story in the comments 👇

06/05/2026

Ashton Burdick
skates in this year’s Survivor Game for one reason that means more than anything else: his mom, Stacey Burdick — a survivor whose strength and resilience continue to inspire him every day.

Her journey and her fight shaped Ashton in powerful ways, and taking the ice is his way of honoring her and the toughness she’s shown through every challenge.

This year, Ashton skates alongside his father, Travis, sharing the ice as a family and carrying forward the strength that has defined their story.

For Ashton, this game isn’t just hockey. It’s family. It’s gratitude. It’s a tribute to the woman who showed him what true toughness looks like.

06/05/2026

Meet Kevin Morgan

Kevin will be taking the ice in our Survivor Game on June 13th — carrying a story shaped by service, sacrifice, and the battles that followed him home. In 2008, he deployed to Iraq as a firefighter and EMT in the United States Air Force, treating wounded service members and combatants on the front lines. The lives he fought to save — and the losses he witnessed — left a weight far deeper than anything visible from the outside.

Coming home didn’t end the fight. Anxiety, depression, and alcoholism became new enemies, and the road forward was long and unforgiving. Today, Kevin lives with a 100% total and permanent service‑connected disability, a reminder of what he gave and what it cost.

But he’s still here. Still pushing. Still choosing to rise.For Kevin, skating in the Survivor Game isn’t just about hockey — it’s about reclaiming purpose, honoring those he served beside, and proving that even after the hardest chapters, there is strength and hope in the next one.Read his full story in the comments. 👇

06/05/2026

Meet Cathy Berlin‑Obregon

Cathy will be taking the ice in our Survivor Game on June 13th to honor her sister, U.S. Air Force Major Phyllis Pelky, who was killed in the 2015 NATO helicopter crash. Losing Phyllis changed Cathy’s life, and the years that followed were shaped by grief, remembrance, and the friendships that helped her keep moving forward.

One of those friendships came through Col. Buff Burkel — Phyllis’s colleague and a survivor of the same crash. Their connection became a source of strength, and during a visit to St. Louis, Buff encouraged Cathy to step onto the ice. That simple moment opened a new path. Hockey became a way for Cathy to carry her sister’s memory with her, to heal, and to find community again.

Cathy skates in the Survivor Game to honor Phyllis, to remember those lost, and to show how love and resilience can guide us forward.
Read her full story in the comments.👇

06/05/2026

Meet Chad Bomerschein

Chad’s path back to the rink has been anything but simple. In September 2021, a severe motorcycle accident left him with a traumatic brain injury and fractures throughout his body — injuries that reshaped nearly every part of his daily life. Recovery wasn’t a straight line. It was slow, frustrating, and filled with moments where progress felt miles away.

But Chad kept showing up. Step by step, he rebuilt strength, relearned routines, and fought to reclaim pieces of the life he loved. One of the biggest milestones was getting back to the rink — not to play, but simply to watch his boys skate. Those moments became fuel, reminders of what mattered and what he was working toward.

By 2025, Chad had found his way into the DAWG Nation community, giving back, volunteering, and supporting others walking their own hard roads. His presence, his perspective, and his quiet determination have become part of what makes this community stronger.

Chad’s journey is a reminder that healing isn’t fast, and it isn’t easy — but it is possible.
Read his full story in the comments. 👇