09/29/2026
I want to share a story about community.
A friend messaged me after this weekend’s Icebreaker tournament in Omaha to tell me how awesome her son’s peewee coach had been. She had never met him before that weekend, but she sent me his name and said:
“Our coach was so great! I don’t know if he coaches house, but I hope we have him again sometime. I think he knew my son was nervous, and he gave him a fist bump in between every shift.”
I recognized the name immediately and passed along the kudos. Jon isn’t an Aces coach. He’s just a great dude—and someone I’ve gotten to know through hockey. Our kids don’t even play for the same association, but we've always shared mutual respect for one another.
Jon told me the championship game had been a tough one. Penalties were piling up, emotions were getting high, and he could feel the team—including himself—getting away from the rules and expectations he had set for them.
So, he called a timeout. Not just to talk hockey, but to reset the team. Afterward, he said the kids dug in, focused, played for each other and handled the adversity together. They went on to win 4–2 and become Icebreaker Champs!
But the championship isn't why I'm sharing this story.
I'm sharing it because a nervous kid got a fist bump between every shift, and his mom noticed. And I knew the coach well enough to tell him that what he was doing mattered. Because three adults connected through hockey can celebrate a kid having a great experience, no matter which association is printed on anyone's jersey.
That is community. Between the three of us, our kids play for three different organizations. And that's okay. Youth hockey should be bigger than the lines adults sometimes draw between associations, teams and programs.
That's why the Nebraska Aces exist: Bring kids together. Build bridges. Put kids first. We've always believed hockey can build relationships that reach beyond a single team or association.
We're going to keep building those bridges because at the end of the day, they're all hockey kids. And they deserve adults like Jon who remember that.