Robbie Nolan Named Go Red Night Honorary Captain

Wichita, KS (Jan. 17th) - The Wichita Thunder, ECHL affiliate of the NHL's Edmonton Oilers, AHL's Bakersfield Condors and powered by Toyota, are excited to announce that five-year old Robbie Nolan has been selected as the team's honorary captain for Go Red Night on Friday, February 1st as the team hosts the Utah Grizzlies.

Robbie was born with Congestive Heart Failure and three holes in his heart. He underwent open heart surgery when he was 8 months old (and only weighing 13 pounds) and it was successful in closing the holes! He went from not being able to sit up at eight months to running around on his first birthday.

This past summer, he was an Ambassador with the American Heart Association at their annual Heart Walk and loved getting to meet fellow 'heart friends' as he calls them. He continues to see his cardiologist at Children's Mercy and recently received a confirmed diagnosis of cardiomyopathy, but he doesn't let that stop him!

He is very active with sports and is extremely excited to be with the Thunder and the "big and fast hockey players" as he calls them! His favorite part of watching the Thunder play is when they score.

Robbie will get a chance to go behind the scenes with the team at practice for a day and then join the team on the bench during warm-ups. Before the game, he will drop the ceremonial face-off.

The American Heart Association helps fund more research on children's heart diseases than any organization outside the federal government. Congenital Heart Defects are the number one birth defect among children in the US, with more than 36,000 babies impacted each year.

February is American Heart Month, which is a perfect chance to focus on the prevalence of heart disease, America's No. 1 killer. It is also a time to pause and celebrate the research and education that makes lifesaving advances in the diagnosis and treatment of heart disease a reality. For more information on heart-healthy living, you can visit www.heart.org.

Fans can find free upper level ticket vouchers at all local Metro By T-Mobile and Quik Trip locations. Fans can also help donate to AHA throughout the game.

Fans are also encouraged to wear red the night of the game, which is also National Wear Red Day. Use the hashtag #GoRedICT during the game and share your red. Go Red Night is presented by Aetna and Metro By T-Mobile.

Wichita plays a home-and-home series this weekend starting Friday at home against Kansas City at 7:05 p.m.

Individual tickets for all games are on sale now. Season tickets are still available for purchase. Get your seats for just $15 per month. All it takes is a $1 deposit per seat to reserve yours today. To learn more, click here or contact a Thunder representative at the office today!

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-Thunder-