CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – This Veterans Day weekend – a high school team is honoring vets with a special game.

The Cedar Rapids High School Roughriders team held the ‘Salute to Service’ game on Saturday.

In between matches, the team commemorated the veterans with color presentation and tap playing.

“My son is a senior on the Cedar Rapids hockey team, and we have discovered that many of our players on the team and the opposing team have family members who have served,” said Dad and Marine Corp Senior Doug Hills. “We wanted to make sure we recognized them, remembered them and honored them this weekend,” he said.

Players wore a special patch on their uniforms that represented the branch of the military in which their family members served.

The team also raised funds for care packages that players would distribute to veterans receiving care at the VA medical center in Iowa City.

“It’s a great opportunity for them to get involved in the community and interact with some veterans,” Hills said. “It means a lot to our players, and hopefully it means a lot to our veterans at the medical center,” he said.

One of the vets at the game was Tom Lage, who served in the Navy for 20 years.

“Being a part of the Navy is a big part of my family, and everyone is proud of me, just as we are of my grandson playing hockey,” Lage said.

For the game, players wore a special patch on their uniforms representing the branch of the military in which their family members served.

Photos of the vets were also displayed at the entrance of the ice arena to commemorate their sacrifice.

“Today is a proud day for me, where we can reflect on everything we have done and what this country means to us,” Lage said.

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