Lakeland College King’s Energy Group Rustlers Hockey Club held its second annual Hockey Fights Cancer Night last Saturday at the Russ Robertson Arena and raised $8,000 for the Lloydminster Region Health Foundation in the process. Taylor Weaver Meridian Source
The Lakeland College King’s Energy Group Rustlers Hockey Club may have beat the Rustlers Alumni and Lloydminster and Area Women’s All-Star team 8-4, but the real winner was local healthcare and those who need it.
The Rustlers hockey club hosted its second annual Hockey Fights Cancer Night at the Russ Robertson Arena last Saturday night and raised over $8,000 in the process. Funds from this year’s game will support the chemotherapy and cancer wards at the Lloydminster Hospital through the Lloydminster Region Health Foundation (LRHF).
“We have a holding fund for the chemotherapy and cancer ward at the hospital. Any time they need updated equipment or nurses need professional development, they put in a request to us to enhance the chemotherapy or cancer ward within the hospital,” said LRHF CEO Stephanie Munro.
“This event definitely pulls at heartstrings. I know so many people in this room that have been impacted directly by cancer, and to see all of these women holding signs saying who they’re playing for tonight is extremely emotional.”
One of the said women was second-year winger Asha Petrie, who played for her grandfather who lost his battle with cancer in October.
“Seeing the turnout tonight and seeing how much the community supports our team, and to be able to give back, was really special,” she said. “When we filled out the papers saying who we were playing for, last year I wrote I was playing for a cure, but this year I put my grandpa’s name and played for him.”
Goaltender Kayla Wakelin, who played the first half of Saturday’s game for the alumni team and is also a Kindergarten teacher at St. Mary’s Elementary School, also played for someone special.
“There’s a little girl in Grade 2 at my school who’s been battling cancer for the last two years, and she’s who I played for the last two years,” said Wakelin.
“There’s lots of family members, too, that have battled cancer. It’s such a tough disease.”
One of Saturday’s guest coaches was none other than the brother of Rustlers’ head coach Morgan Mann, Merv, whose daughter and niece have both played on the team.
“I’m glad to get involved, and seeing these girls doing some fundraising and giving back, just being a part of the community and showing the community they care and want to be involved (was great),” he said.
Merv also noted it was nice to see every player carrying a constant smile while on the ice.
“It’s a little refreshing. Sometimes when you’re playing the game you don’t realize it’s about fun, and today really showed just how fun it can be,” he said.
“The girls were conscientious changing (lines) and letting the other girls play, just out there smiling and so happy for their teammates. It was a ton of fun.”
On behalf of the health foundation, Munro wanted to extend thanks to everyone who supported the game.
“The list of people to thank is abundant, but the people in Lloydminster are so amazing,” she said.
“Because of them, the chemotherapy and cancer fund at the hospital will have available resources for accessing the department when needed.”
