Super Noah game returns
It’s ba-a-ack.
Middleton will host the fifth annual ‘Super Noah’ hockey match on Saturday at the Capitol Ice Arena.
The Cardinals will host Brookfield with the JV game set to face off at 5 p.m. and the varsity game to follow at 7 p.m.
But this is more than an ordinary hockey game.
All funds collected at the annual ‘Super Noah’ hockey match will go directly to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and the Children’s Cancer Research Foundations.
“The boys are very excited to be a part of the ‘Super Noah’ game again,” Middleton coach Dan Truehl said. “Over the past few years, they’ve really embraced playing for a greater cause.
“It’s sometimes tough at that age to see how big of an impact they can have on their community and this game allows for them to do and see just that.”
The event began due to a connection formed between Noah Sanger, who was diagnosed with cancer when he was four years old, and 16-year-old Ava Jambor, a Middleton High School student with a passion for hockey and helping others.
Ava Jambor hosted the first Super Noah event when she was a sophomore in high school.
Her brother, Charlie, a senior forward on Middleton’s current hockey team, has continued the tradition.
“My sister ran for Student of the Year when she was in high school,” Charlie Jambor said. “She has done this ‘Super Noah’ game ever since she won Student of the Year. I’m continuing it on for Middleton hockey.”
Charlie Jambor said the event has raised close to $100,000.
“We have high hopes for raising more money this year,” he said. “Last year was the first time we did it with the Middleton High School hockey team. More people have now heard of the event, so we have gotten more people to donate and support it.”
It all started when Ava Jambor ran for Student of the Year through her volunteer work with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, Charlie Jambor said.
It was a perfect pairing. Noah — whose father, Jeff, played hockey at Colorado College and in the minor leagues and was a college coach — played hockey, as did Ava.
Jeff Sanger said that shared bond — their love for hockey — has led a great community event.
“It started out small and has gotten progressively bigger and bigger,” Jeff Sanger said. “With families going through these types of things, and Noah having gone through it, the research and continuation of it is crucial. Our goal is to keep doing it for as long as we can keep doing it.
“Charlie took it on, but goes off to college next year. We’ll have to have somebody pick it up. But my nephew, Matt Sanger, plays for Middleton and hopefully we can pass the torch on.”
Jeff Sanger said Noah, who is now a fifth grader at Glacier Creek Middle School, was diagnosed with Leukemia in 2018 and underwent 3 ½ years of treatments.
But Noah was on the ice last Sunday, playing for his PeeWee hockey team that his father helps coach.
“Noah’s doing great. His checkups are good,” Jeff Sanger said. “For 10 years, every three months he does blood work. Everything’s going well. He’s doing great. All is good.
“To receive the support when he was going through it helped us out a lot. It’s one of those things where you don’t expect anything to happen, and then you get the news and it’s like your whole world is upside down.”
Jeff Sanger said his family was fortunate to connect with Ava Jambor and her family.
“It’s amazing what the Jambors do as a family and the amount they put into it,” he said. “We’re there to help and support whatever we can do to help raise money.
“We became great friends. Ava was a great person to be around. Her family carrying the torch and keeping this going is awesome.”
Charlie Jambor said Saturday’s event will be packed with many fun-filled family activities.
“We have a chuck a puck contest, a 50-50 raffle and a kids’ game between periods for the fans to watch,” Jambor said. “We had special jerseys made for the game that are orange, the color for leukemia.”
The jerseys will also feature a ‘Super Noah’ patch on the left shoulder and Leukemia & Lymphoma Society patch on the right shoulder.
‘Super Noah’ will also replace each individual player’s last name on the back of the jerseys.
Charlie Jambor said it was important to carry on, what his sister started.
“It’s a great cause,” Charlie Jambor said. “I really like seeing Noah Sanger getting better and helping people who are still dealing with this disease and raising as much money as we are now.
“We raised a lot of money from Middleton hockey families and Middleton families in general to help create baskets for people to bid on. We also contacted a lot of local companies who have supported us in the past and were willing to donate this year.”
Jeff Sanger said the event demonstrates just how connected the local hockey community is.
“Hockey is a big world, but a small world. It’s such a tight-knit community,” he said. “When Noah was diagnosed, you could see the support immediately from everybody. You don’t know how critical that support is until something like this happens.
“As a kid going through it and a family going through it, you need that support. It’s a very difficult thing to endure.”
Middleton carried a 12-8 overall record, including an 8-2 mark in Big Eight Conference play, into play this week. The Cardinals are battling for a Big Eight title and are tied with Verona for the league lead.
But Truehl said Saturday’s event is geared to create a winning situation off the ice as well.
“We’d love to see as many local fans as possible to make this event special,” Truehl said. “Charlie has taken the reins from his sister and embraced the leadership role. He’s spoken to the team, the parents, and members of the community. It’s been fun watching him grow up and lead an event that has such a positive impact.”
