The Saint Anselm College ice hockey programs took part in the annual “Pink in the Rink” fundraiser during the last week in January in order to raise funds for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF). The event culminated with four hockey games over the weekend which in total raised over $1,000 for the cause.
The BCRF, founded in 1993, is one of the world’s most successful charities when it comes to raising money for cancer research. BCRF’s mission is to prevent and cure breast cancer by providing funds for innovative clinical research at the world’s leading medical centers, while increasing public awareness about breast cancer warning signs. Now, in its tenth year, BCRF has raised over $425 million.
“It is a great charity,” said sophomore forward Jonny Daniels. “The Breast Cancer Research Foundation is a charity that we are very happy to contribute to.”
While the ice itself was not pink, there was plenty of it in the arena. The players sported the color in their uniforms — the women’s team wore pink jerseys while the men added pink accents to their uniforms. The fans showed their solidarity to the cause by also wearing pink.
Each game filled the seats at the Thomas F. Sullivan Stadium. “There definitely is a great atmosphere when we host the [Pink in the Rink] game,” said sophomore forward Cody Grondin. Special contests held during the intermissions added to the energetic atmosphere of the games. These contests led to some lucky fans leaving with some great prizes including: The strong-armed champion of the Chuck-A-Puck contest who took home a new snowboard, while another winner left a game donning a new ski jacket.
Both teams finished the weekend with a 1-1 record. A total of 33 goals were scored in the four games and provided plenty of excitement for those in attendance.
Rosemarie Giarrusso started off the scoring frenzy 10 minutes into the first game against the nationally-ranked Manhattanville College Valiants. Giarrusso added another goal later in the game but her two goals were not enough as the #8 seeded Valiants, squeaked past the Hawks 3-2.
In the first men’s game, senior Mike Richard electrified the crowd scoring a hat-trick and totaling four points as the men’s squad skated past Skidmore College 7-5.
The winning trend continued with the women’s team bouncing back in a Saturday matinee game against the Nichols College Bisons. The Hawks scored eight goals, three of which were scored by Courtney Winters, as the team trounced the Bisons 8-3.
In the final game of the weekend, Saint Anselm’s men’s team dropped a 3-2 decision to the Castleton State College Spartans in a nail-biter finish. The Spartans scored with 16 seconds left in the game to take the road win.
In the end, the true victors are the breast cancer patients who will benefit from the money raised by the Saint Anselm College hockey programs. The charitable efforts put forth by these two teams will fund more BCRF research and advocacy initiatives, helping the organization inch toward its goal — ending breast cancer in our lifetime.