NORTHFIELD, Vt. – On Dec. 8 the Norwich University Men’s Ice Hockey team gave back to the community by dropping off clothes and serving meals at the Trinity United Methodist Church.

The Norwich University mission statement describes service as an integral part of the Norwich experience.  Students must experience service to others before self as a vital part of the maturation process and take with them from Norwich the expectation that service will be a lifelong commitment. Every year hockey fans all over the world will toss objects, such as clothes and toys, onto the ice after the host team’s first goal of the game. These objects are then distributed by the team to their local charities during the holiday season to benefit those in need.

Coach Ellsworth took that idea and gave it a distinctive Northfield and Central Vermont flavor by pairing with Darn Tough Vermont to help provide a much needed but often overlooked item during New England winters. The sock toss became an annual tradition in 2018, and in the first two years alone well over 3,000 pairs of socks were donated to various local partners in Central Vermont. Darn Tough Vermont, an American manufacturer of premium, all-weather outdoor and lifestyle socks is located right in Northfield and helped to launch the idea.

This year’s edition of the Darn Tough Sock Toss occurred on Nov. 11 against Castleton and was triggered by Patrick O’ Neal’s goal at 7:10 of the second period.