By NEAL WAGNER / City Editor

Pelham emergency responders and their families will be admitted free to the University of Alabama Frozen Tide hockey team’s first game of the season on Sept. 26, the team announced on Sept. 24.

Pelham police officers, firefighters, rescue personnel and other first responders and their immediate families will get into the game for free. The Frozen Tide will open the season at the Pelham Civic Complex and Ice Arena at 8 p.m. against the U.S. Army’s Fort Benning, Ga., hockey team.

“We think this is a very important night for Alabama hockey. We owe a bunch to these folks,” said Frozen Tide head coach Mike Quenneville. “The dedication and time that they put in, the training that is done and what they do for our community is awesome.

“I am very proud that Alabama hockey is a part of first responder’s night,” Quenneville said. “We want to make it an event every year.”

For the Frozen Tide’s full 2013-2014 schedule, visit Bamahockey.com.