STA boys, STA/WHS/Dover girls hockey teams raised close to $8K from annual Pink Game

DOVER - Both the St. Thomas Aquinas High School boys hockey team, as well as the co-operative girls hockey team from STA/Winnacunnet/Dover held their respective 14th annual Pink Games this past February.

The priority of these games is raising funds and giving that money to the Seacoast Cancer Center in Dover for its patients who are impacted by cancer.

Earlier this month, members of both teams presented a check to Seacoast Cancer Center in the amount of $7,730.

"So proud of our student-athletes and their teams for raising this money for a special cause," St. Thomas Aquinas athletic director Dave Morissette said. "Their commitment to our mission at (St. Thomas Aquinas) goes well beyond the classroom."

St. Thomas Aquinas boys hockey player Max Murray weighs in

Senior Max Murray, a senior, said playing in this annual game means a lot to him and his teammates.

"It's nice to play for something other than a win, and knowing all of the profit is going toward cancer research and helping them is great," said Murray, who admitted the game is especially meaningful to him. "My mom (Arlene LaPanne) had breast cancer. This event is close to me, I just love to play for a cause like that."

Murray and his teammates raised money by selling Pink Game T-shirts, and through a bake sale. Before the game, all the players went around the locker room and shared how they had been affected by cancer in their families.

"It really brings us closer together and reminds us of what we're playing for," Murray said. "It's a heart-filling moment."

Prior to the game, head coach Dan Strabone handed each player a card for each player to write down somebody in their family who has been affected by cancer.

Murray dedicated last year's game to his mom, and this year he dedicated the game to his aunt, Tammy Fournier.

"It just means so much (to play), because it's close to my family," Murray said. "Going out on the ice and you know you're playing for that person. It makes you want to work harder, it makes you want to get the team going a lot more. It's just absolutely more personal."

Strabone said the Pink Game puts things in perspective for the student-athletes.

"I think it's important for the players to see," Strabone said. "We talk about this game and we do a little thing here before our game and each player gives a little talk on who they're playing for. I think every kid in that locker-room and all the coaches have been affected by someone who has had cancer."

STA/Winnacunnet/Dover girls team rallies around Christi Trudel

Al Oliveira, head coach of the girls hockey team, a prostate cancer survivor, dropped the pre-game ceremonial puck in 2022. In this year's game, Danielle Hawthorne, the aunt of junior Christi Trudel, did the honors.

"Between Christi's aunt and myself, (the team) saw the connection and value of doing something like this," Oliveira said. "I spoke about it with the kids in the locker room last year of what (this game) meant to me. You can see in their faces that it really hit home how important it is and how much they wanted to support and help other people."

This was Trudel's first season with STA/Dover/Winnacunnet after transferring from Brewster Academy. She said it was special to be a part of something like the Pink Game.

"I've been very close to breast cancer my whole life because of my aunt, so seeing everybody just rally together was just an insane experience to have," Trudel said. "We never had anything like that at Brewster; being able to see the whole community rally together for one thing was an insane experience."

Oliveira said the way the team surrounded Trudel and her family is what the Pink Game is all about.

"You saw multiple kids go up to Christi and give her a hug and you don't see that usually," Oliveira said. "So to me, there was a little extra show of support for her, like 'hey, we're here for you and your family, we're not just here for a hockey game.' It's bigger than that, this game is bigger than a win or a loss, it's life."

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: St. Thomas Winnacunnet Dover hockey teams raise cancer research funds