LAFAYETTE, La. (KLFY) — Acadian Veterans Hockey Club is bringing veterans together through hockey. The group aims to foster camaraderie and support among veterans in a new way.

Courtney Dugas is the sponsorship coordinator for the Acadian Veterans Hockey Club, who had the idea while on a trip with her husband.

“We were very fortunate we were able to play in a veterans tournament in St. Louis earlier this year.” Dugas said “He was playing with a team from Michigan, and we were inspired by what their program was doing. We got to see kind of how the veterans interacted with each other and what the programs they were doing back home. And so on the way home, we decided, hey, let’s see if we can start something like this at home.”

Veterans started to join once the word got out.

“The hockey community is here is pretty small,” Dugas said. “I’ve been playing for a long time. 30 years since the original ice skaters were here. So a lot of us know each other.”

Marine Corps veteran Tyler Guilbeau was one of those who joined.

“A handful of friends convinced me to start playing hockey,” Guilbeau said. “They said it was a league for disabled vets to play, so I figured, why not? What have I got to lose?”

Eric Lorio, army veteran and teammate, shared how playing hockey in south Louisiana can be a rare sport but knew a league was needed for the community.

“You know, being that hockey’s not a very big sport, especially, you know, organization down here in Louisiana. We have a lot of veterans that are in the area. They’re playing hockey already. So we said, Hey, you know, let’s get everyone together. Let’s start this organization,” Lorio said.

The group shared how creating the team was more than just ice and pucks, it’s building a community.

“It brings you to some sense of camaraderie as a team and going back to those military days where, you know, you were you were selected in a group. Being around brothers and sisters, I truly did care about you.” Lorio said. “And a lot of us didn’t want to leave that. You know, we have to eventually leave the military for whatever reasons it might be, but being able to come back, find a group of people that can get together, do this, it’s truly amazing.”

“It’s been really rewarding. I enjoyed seeing the smiles on their faces. I’ve known some of these guys for a long time, but some are pretty new to me. And so seeing them on the ice, seeing the smiles on their faces, I mean, that’s what makes this all worth it,” Dugas said

“The biggest thing that we take away from this is it’s not just about the hockey. It’s about getting veterans together.” Guilbeau added. “Whether you want to skate, you don’t want to skate, you just want to hang out with veterans. We’ve got to do that. You want to skate, you want to take your chances and lace them up and come out here and try it out.
We’ll take care of you for that, too.”

Acadiana Veterans Hockey will host a scrimmage on June 28 at 10 am at Planet Ice with free admission.

For those interested in watching click here.

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