Before each game, home or away, the Miami University ice hockey team receives a special message.

Sometimes it’s a video wishing the RedHawks luck that night. Other times it’s an audio note congratulating them on a big win from the previous evening.

Whatever the sentiment, it always puts smiles on their faces when they hear from Liam Jergenson, a 16-year-old from Liberty Township who has become an integral part of Miami’s program.

Perhaps the biggest of those smiles comes from Blake Mesenburg, a senior forward from Orono, Minnesota. For the past two years, Mesenburg has organized game nights, planned a surprise birthday party, and attended Jergenson’s sled hockey practices.

Jergenson was diagnosed at the age of 5 with KIF1A, a progressive neurodegenerative disease that hinders mobility and causes mental and developmental delays. Jergenson is one of approximately 500 people worldwide with the condition and the only person with this specific variation.

Mesenburg and the RedHawks first became acquainted with Jergenson through Team IMPACT, which matches children facing serious illness and disability with college athletic teams.

They hit it off immediately.

“We’ve set up nights where he’s come over to my house, the entire team comes over, and we do a game night,” Mesenburg said. “He likes Pictionary a lot. We always end up playing that.”

Recently, Team IMPACT announced that Mesenburg was one of five finalists for its 2026 Teammate of the Year award. Voting for the award continues online until March 8.

Jergenson broke the news to Mesenburg about the nomination, which included a video about Mesenburg’s impact. In the video, Jergenson detailed how Mesenburg is the first to greet him and the last to tell him goodbye during his times with the team.

“That’s the coolest thing I’ve ever woken up to,” Mesenburg said. “It’s one of the coolest experiences I’ve ever had. It’s just so heartwarming.”

While Jergenson is close with all members of Miami hockey, he developed an especially strong connection with Mesenburg.

“He just goes above and beyond to make sure Liam is feeling comfortable with what’s going on around him and feeling included,” Melissa Jergenson, Liam’s mother, said. “He just gives that extra TLC. Blake is very easy to talk to for Liam. He dives in with whatever Liam is into at the moment, whether it’s nerves about a medical issue or excitement from sled hockey. He meets him where he’s at.”

Jergenson calls the RedHawks his “brothers,” and it’s a fitting description. One year ago, Miami officially made him part of The Brotherhood – the commonly used moniker to describe the program’s culture – with a special signing ceremony at Goggin Ice Center.

And those smiles Jergenson puts on the faces of the RedHawks? They’re just following his lead.

“He’s pretty much always got a smile on his face,” Miami Hockey Head Coach Anthony Noreen said. “He’s always trying to make you laugh.”

Mesenburg is always thrilled to see Jergenson, even after a difficult day or hard practice — maybe even especially in that instance.

“When he comes to the rink, he’s able to ground me, no matter what’s going on,” Mesenburg said. “He’s always able to be positive, happy, smiling, and always laughing.”

Known for his “dad jokes,” Jergenson will jot down gags here and there as he hears them. He’s compiling them for a joke book intended for patients at Shriner’s Children’s Hospital.

Often, he’ll try out the material on the RedHawks. Some samples: “Why’d the old man fall down the well? Because he couldn’t see that well” is one. “Why are people so tired going into April? Because they just finished a 31-day March” is another.

“Our guys get excited when they see him before a game or when he comes for a practice and they get to spend time on the bench with him after,” Noreen said. “I think it’s meant a lot to his family, too. You always want your son or daughter to be part of something bigger. It’s made for a really cool bond.”

Since its founding in 2011, Team IMPACT has matched 4,200 children with more than 800 colleges and universities across the United States. Many Miami athletic programs have partnered with Team IMPACT over that time, including men’s and women’s swimming and diving, baseball, and women’s soccer.

Noreen stressed the importance of forming relationships with organizations like Team IMPACT and being active in the community.

“In growing and building this program, there were several goals that were far bigger than hockey games,” Noreen said. “It matters to us. We want people to say, ‘This is a group of guys we want to get behind, we want to support, because of the way that they represent Miami University.’”

Winning games has followed, too. The RedHawks have been ranked nationally multiple times this season. Their 17 wins is a 14-victory improvement on the previous season.

“I’m having a blast watching them,” Jergenson said.

During games, he’s protective of all Miami players — especially goaltender Matteo Drobac.

“If someone touches Drobac, he wants an instant penalty,” Melissa Jergenson said. “If one of our guys gets a penalty, he says, ‘He didn’t deserve that.’”

One person who is deserving in Jergenson’s eyes, though, is Mesenburg. He hopes his friend ends up with the Teammate of the Year award. The winner will be recognized on April 11 at Team IMPACT’s Game Day Gala in Boston.

“The messages that Liam gives us, the way he speaks about being part of our team, what the guys mean to him, and what it’s meant to him, it’s really special,” Noreen said. “It means a lot to us.”

Established in 1809, Miami University is located in Oxford, Ohio, with regional campuses in Hamilton and Middletown, a learning center in West Chester, and a European study center in Luxembourg.