Lombard students learn hockey skills from Blackhawks interns

Before they were handed new hockey sticks, a small group of Glenn Westlake Middle School students sporting Chicago Blackhawks shirts and jerseys were told to try their hardest at everything they do, whether it's school or sports.

"We say be like Johnny Toews, be like Number 19, because no matter what he's doing, he's giving 110 percent," said John Skokna, a Blackhawks intern who visited the Lombard school Monday with other members of the team's fan development department. "We say even if you don't love it or you think you don't love it, give it 110 percent, see if you're going to enjoy it, and we think you will."

Over the course of an hour, the kids learned stick handling, defense and passing before breaking into teams to play short floor hockey games.

"Control, control," Skokna shouted as the students eagerly attempted to jog across the gym while keeping a small, red ball in their possession.

The exercises were part of the Blackhawks' GOAL, or Get Out and Learn, program, which is aiming to promote the game and teach basic hockey skills at dozens of Chicago-area schools over the course of the 2015-16 season.

"It's brand new and the kids seem to love it so far," Skokna said. "At the end of the day we ... leave the equipment here for the kids to use, so they can just kind of fall in love with hockey and understand it a little better and practice the skills in their own gym class."

Physical education teacher Sandy Schalund filled out an application for the GOAL program to come to the school after reading about it on the Blackhawks' website.

"I just thought it would be neat for the kids to have this experience," she said. "We play hockey in one of the classes, but a lot of us are big Blackhawks fans."

Assistant Principal Heidi Rudy said the students earn raffle tickets throughout the year for good behavior and respect for the environment, education and everyone around them. They were able to submit as many tickets as they wanted to take part in one of the two GOAL sessions. Twenty students from each grade level were selected to participate.

"Our school really cheers for the Blackhawks and a lot of our kids play hockey, so it's exciting for them to be here," she said.