IceHogs to Wear Icemen Throwback Jerseys, Hold Charity Auction April 4

The Rockford IceHogs will step onto the BMO Center ice April 4 dressed as the ghosts of Rockford hockey past, honoring the Rockford Icemen with throwback jerseys before auctioning them off to fans immediately after the 7 p.m. game against the Iowa Wild.

The annual live jersey auction, presented by Insurance King, is the lead fundraiser for the IceHogs Community Fund and has generated over $1.3 million across 24 seasons. This year, a portion of proceeds will go directly to Rockford Hockey Club, a competitive youth program serving athletes ages 8 to 18.

The format is part theater, part fundraiser: after the final buzzer, players skate out one at a time while a live auctioneer opens bidding on each game-worn jersey. The mascot, Hammy, gets the same treatment.

The jerseys themselves carry some design weight. Blue with green and white trim, they feature the Icemen's "Old Man Winter" logo on the front with "Rockford" arched above the crest. IceHogs and Rockford Lightning logos sit on the shoulders, bridging two eras of the city's hockey identity. Rockford Hockey Club President Jordan Tuminaro, who attended the March 10 jersey reveal at Carlson Ice Arena, put it plainly: "You have the color scheme there. You also have our new Rockford Lightning patch on the shoulder. So it's kind of the old and the new."

The Icemen are worth honoring. According to reporting by WREX's Will McKenna, the program was an Illinois high school hockey powerhouse from 1991 to 2016, winning 16 state championships, including 15 consecutive titles under head coach Tim Mattila. The club continued operating as a combined program until shutting down in 2018. Mattila was present at the Carlson Ice Arena unveiling alongside Jon Larson, president of the Rockford Lightning High School Hockey Program and himself a former Icemen coach.

Mattila framed the night's broader significance simply: "It's all about the youth programs to make your high school teams better and then your high school teams to make your pro teams better."

IceHogs President of Business Operations Ryan Snider made the organizational mission explicit. "One of our primary missions as an organization is to support our community and make Rockford proud, and one of the ways we do that is to support local hockey and grow the game," Snider said. The IceHogs Community Fund distributes proceeds to multiple local nonprofits each season, with Rockford Hockey Club named as a specific beneficiary of this year's auction.

Tuminaro noted that the fund's support helps get kids on the ice earlier, and added that Rockford Hockey Club is close to launching a youth girls hockey team that would expand the program further.

IceHogs Marketing Director Dave Costello, also quoted by WIFR, called the tribute significant beyond the auction itself. "We're honoring the Rockford Icemen, which we're really excited about. It's a huge part of hockey history here in Rockford," Costello said.

The game tips off at 7 p.m. on Saturday, April 4 at BMO Center, 300 Elm St., Rockford, with the auction beginning immediately after the final horn.