It was a fantastic night at Hastings High School on Wednesday night as the Dakota United Adapted sports teams played a game at Hastings High School for the first time in over 15 years.
Adapted sports are a sanctioned varsity sport in MN, and Dakota United is a co-op of athletes from Hastings, Apple Valley, Eastview and Rosemount that have cognitive or physical impairments. The sports have their own state tournament.
The Hawks hosted the Brainerd and Lakeville-Farmington-Burnsville teams across two divisions, PI (Physically Impaired) and CI (Cognitively Impaired).
The event was given special flair as it was included as part of the Hockey Day MN festivities, with a TV crew from the FanDuel Sports Network gathering footage to air on Saturday during the game.
While the Hawks didn’t win either game, that was far from the biggest thing on the minds of the hundreds in attendance. As the Hastings, Rosemount and Eastview hockey teams cheered the teams on, and as the Rosemount High School varsity cheer squad supported the athletes, the event had the feel of a big time varsity game, and the well run included chants, music, introductions, and plenty of support.
The Hawks feature Nolan St. Sauver, a 3 sport adapted sports athlete, who has the honor of dropping the puck Saturday at Hockey Day Minnesota.
Here is a previous interview with Trent Hanson about the event: Dakota United Hawks to Play At Hastings High School
