The Prince Rupert Rampage’s annual cancer campaign got off to a riotous start before Christmas with a charity game against the Kitimat Ice Demons Dec. 22.
Brett Stava, Rampage president, said the team was thrilled to see a near capacity crowd for the event at the Jim Ciccone Civic Centre. While a final tally is not yet available, he believes the game and subsequent ugly sweater party raised in the neighbourhood of $10,000.
Stava was grateful to the Ice Demons, who, he said, were graciously on board right from the start.
An additional generous $1,500 donation before the game from Grassy Bay PetroCanada, puts the team well on its way to matching or beating last year’s final count of $107,000. With that cash, the Prince Rupert Regional Hospital was able to buy three new cancer detection scopes that Northern Health says will save lives by enhancing the hospital’s capability in early diagnosis.
The ugly sweater party was also a rousing success, Stava said, with 400 people attending and other community groups stepping up to help out. Triple Bypass provided the entertainment while the Prince Rupert Figure Skating Club provided security and the Pawz United Rescue Society (PURS) ran the bar.
PURS has also been the recent recipient of Rampage largesse with sales of the team’s 2024 calendar. At the Jan. 6 home game against Terrace, the players took time to sign copies of the calendar for fans.
Last year, the hockey team’s various contributions to the community, earned them a Paul Harris Fellow award from the Prince Rupert Rotary Club.
January will provide ample opportunity for the team to raise more funds with five home games versus Terrace (Jan. 6), Kitimat (Jan. 13), Williams Lake (Jan. 20), Quesnel (Jan. 21) and Smithers (Feb. 3). For all of those games, the players will be sporting their pink jerseys.
While Dec. 22 was all about the cause, there was also a hockey game, albeit an exhibition match. The home team prevailed 6-2 with goals by Tom Robinson, Jared Carter, Judd Repole, Cole Atchison, Reid Lindsay and Tyler Halliday. For Kitimat, Josh Salanina and Lou Riberio had the markers.
Stava said Rampage backup goalie Brayden Ferguson, who doesn’t get a lot of opportunities to mind the net, played an excellent game.
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