SYRACUSE, N.Y. – The Syracuse Crunch are proud to announce that Mike Angelidis has been named the team’s winner of the IOA/American Specialty AHL Man of the Year award for his outstanding contributions to the Syracuse community during the 2015-16 season.
Throughout the season, Angelidis has gone above and beyond for the Syracuse community through the development and commitment to his Change for Change presented by Upstate University Hospital initiative, which raises money for Upstate Golisano Children’s Hospital. Change for Change is a program created by the Crunch captain and his teammates that aims to raise money for pediatric cancer research and help improve the odds for children with cancer. It was inspired by a boy named Griffin Engle, who touched the hearts of everyone at the Syracuse Crunch. This season’s campaign honors Sophie Kanejsza, who lost her battle with cancer in 2012, just before her ninth birthday. The Change for Change fundraising initiative raised over $6,000 in its inaugural campaign during the 2014-15 season and has already raised more than $11,000 in its second year.
Angelidis contributed greatly to Change for Change this season through a variety of events. He organized two team outings to collect money on the street during the morning rush hour. He also helped plan a fundraising event at local Dunkin’ Donuts locations and coordinated the team for a post-game skate. All money collected during the team events was added to this season’s Change for Change total.
In addition to collecting money, Angelidis visited children at Upstate Golisano Children’s Hospital. During the 2016 Toyota AHL All-Star Classic, the Eastern Conference Captain had the opportunity to talk with the children and families the team’s Change for Change campaign is supporting. After the Crunch teamed up with Maureen’s Hope Foundation to participate in the Team Carry A Bead Program through Beads of Courage, where players wore beads during practice and wrote personal notes to the children reminding them of their strength and courage, Angelidis returned to Upstate Golisano Children’s Hospital to deliver the beads and visit more young patients.
This is the first time Angelidis has been honored with the team IOA/American Specialty AHL Man of the Year award and recognized for his dedication to the Syracuse community.
Angelidis is now one of 30 finalists for the AHL’s 2015-16 Yanick Dupre Memorial Award, honoring the overall IOA/American Specialty AHL Man of the Year. The league award is named after the former Hershey Bears forward and AHL All-Star who died in 1997 following a 16-month battle with leukemia. The winner of the Yanick Dupre Memorial Award will be announced by the American Hockey League at a later date.
