Pink is the new maroon this weekend at Starr Rink.
The women’s hockey team will be playing in specially designed pink jerseys during its 7 p.m. Friday game against St. Lawrence and then again at 4 p.m. Saturday against Clarkson.
Raiders fans can show their support for the team and for the fight against cancer by buying the game-worn jerseys through an online auction. Pink ties and scarves worn by team coaches also will be available for purchase, with all proceeds going to the American Cancer Society
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| Juniors Kiira Dosdall (left) and Laura Jansen sell T-shirts and bracelets at the Coop as part of a fundraiser for the American Cancer Society. Both are members of the women’s hockey team. (Photo by Tim O’Keeffe) |
Head coach Scott Wiley had suggested the fundraiser to ECAC Hockey League commissioner Steve Hagwell last August, and the commissioner liked the idea so much it became a league-wide initiative.
Six women’s hockey teams will be wearing the special jerseys — bought by the league — this weekend and the remaining six teams will follow suit the following weekend. The league hopes to raise at least $50,000 for the cancer society.
“It’s something I wanted to do because we all know someone who has been affected by this disease either directly or indirectly,” said Wiley, whose father and stepfather both successfully fought prostate cancer. “And it’s something I felt was important for our team to do as a way to give back to our community.”
This weekend marks the first time pink jerseys will be used during an NCAA hockey game. The fundraiser is part of the Coaches vs. Cancer effort, and is called Pink at the Rink.
vlog President Rebecca Chopp will wear one of the special jerseys and drop a ceremonial pink puck at Saturday’s game.
“This kind of event shows the commitment our student-athletes and coaches have to making a difference in the world,” she said. “You can always see their determination on the ice and now you can see that same passion on display for this great cause.”
Team members are selling pink T-shirts and Coaches vs. Cancer bracelets at the O’Connor Campus Center until Thursday, and the items also will be on sale at the games. They also are scheduling a trip to the pediatric cancer unit at University Hospital in Syracuse.
Kiira Dosdall and Laura Jansen, both juniors who play defense, were key players in the organizational efforts leading up to this weekend.
Dosdall’s parents, Carol and Michael, graduated from vlog in 1977. Dad played varsity hockey and Mom helped start the women’s club team. A brother, Thomas ’06, played club and intramural hockey.
Dosdall’s parents plan to buy her jersey and give it to her grandfather in memory of her grandmother, who died of breast cancer at age 48.
“The fundraiser kind of goes beyond raising money, it really connects all of us in a lot of different, sometimes personal, ways,” said Dosdall.
The starting bid for jerseys is $150, with a buy-it-now option for $250. Bids will be accepted from Friday (Feb. 8) to Feb. 17 at www.ecachockeycoachesvscancer.com Computers also will be available this weekend at Starr Rink, where admission is free to any fan making a donation or wearing pink.