Preds Tune Up, Give Back During Gold Star Showcase in Clarksville

Joey Willis scored what proved to be the game-winning goal in a shootout as Team White defeated Team Gold at the Predators annual Gold Star Showcase at F&M Bank Arena in Clarksville on Saturday afternoon. 

Reid Schaefer tallied for Team White in the first period by finishing off a perfect pass from Aiden Fink off a 2-on-1, and Kyle Marino evened the score for Team Gold in the final frame. 

All four goaltenders who split time on Saturday - T.J. Semptimphelter, Isak Posch, Matt Murray and Ethan Haider - were excellent in net to keep the score at 1-1 into a shootout. 

After Schaefer and O’Hara scored for their respective sides in the breakaway competition, it was Willis who found the back of the net before Murray denied Daniel Nieminen to finish the day, much to the delight of the Clarksville crowd - some of whom were top of mind during the afternoon.

The Gold Star Showcase, now in its fourth season, features military highlights, Gold Star family tributes, meet-and-greets with Preds players and complimentary tickets through VetTix and Fort Campbell, which is home to the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault).

And the privilege to be a part of a moment like this? Well, that’s certainly not lost on those who everyone came to see.

“It's very special,” Preds defenseman Ryan Ufko, who took part in a ceremonial puck drop with a Gold Star family, said. “I don't think there's enough that you can do to give back, especially to [military families]. Every year, we all look forward to it. We try to compete as hard as we can, make it a real game and give them a show.”

“It's definitely special to come here in Clarksville,” O’Hara said. “Fans come out to support us for an awesome cause, and I'm glad we're able to put on an event like this for the community.”

Ford Ice Center Clarksville is home to the Fort Campbell Hockey Team that plays multiple games per year at the facility. Military members receive a discount on programming at Ford Ice Center Clarksville, and F&M Bank Arena offers multiple opportunities for discounts throughout the building, as well as complimentary tickets to events through Vet Tix when available.

F&M Bank Arena has also hosted multiple memorials honoring fallen soldiers at no cost to families and the military.

There’s also plenty of support back home in Nashville throughout the season, including Ford Military Salute Week, which is a staple among the Predators schedule.

In addition to the Ford Military Salute that comes during every Preds home game, Ford Military Salute Week features a number of recognitions and activations, including soldiers from the Sabaluski Air Assault School and the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) conducting a rappel demonstration from the Bridgestone Arena rafters prior to puck drop.

The Showcase is also a notable point in the Predators Training Camp schedule with a chance to get a look at essentially the entire prospect pool that’s in attendance at camp, including those who have already tasted NHL action, like Ufko and O’Hara.

And for those two, the experience is perfect at this juncture, especially with four preseason games coming up over the next week. 

“You have to get everything you can out of every game, every practice, whether that's little systems, details, and just get your legs under you,” Ufko said. “It’s really hard to replicate a game without actually playing a game, so any game is great exposure, great experience for us.”

“With the shorter camp, everything matters,” O’Hara said. “Every practice, even if it's just an intrasquad game like this, they're always watching. So, you can’t take a shift off, can’t take a day off. That's kind of my mindset.”

Not only did the Preds get a chance to tune things up on the ice, but they were able to give back off of it - and that’s tough to beat no matter who is playing. 

“It was definitely good to get a game under our belt,” Ufko said. “We’re all practicing and everything, but you really want to play in the games. And even if it's an intrasquad scrimmage, you can't really replicate that in practice. So, we were all excited to play. And this is a great event that we do every year to be able to give back to the community. We were all really looking forward to it.”