A 24-hour charity hockey game made it two-thirds of the way around the clock in its inaugural year.
The last-minute decision to scale back to 16 hours — 8 am to midnight — was made after teams backed out days before, said Kaley Holder of Sarnia’s Hashtag Charitable Foundation.
“The cost-effectiveness of having ice overnight was not worth it, so that was where we cut” without enough teams to fill every time slot at Progressive Auto Sales Arena, she said of the Sept. 8 event.
Nevertheless, there were a lot of positives, she said.
Teams can fundraise until year’s end and organizers still hope to hit $48,000 for 13 local charities, she said, noting some teams have already exceeded the $1,000 minimum.
Teams also have been connecting with those charities, she added. The Sarnia Legionnaires, for example, are helping with a lunch campaign and other initiatives at the Inn of the Good Shepherd.
“This has facilitated them having a relationship (with the Inn) that didn’t exist prior to this event,” Holder said of the good deeds portion of the 24-Hour Charity Hockey Game.
“So it’s not just the fundraising they’ve done.”
Const. Tim VanCowenberg and other Sarnia police members are planning outreach of their own, including maybe helping out the Huron House Boys Home with some of its events.
His side edged Sarnia Fire Services by a goal in one game, he said.
The departments have an ongoing Battle of the Badges tournament and play each other every year, he said, noting the series was tied at four games ahead of the Sept. 8 event, with the trophy on the line.
“It’s always a good rivalry,” VanCowenberg said, adding “anytime you get to beat the firemen in hockey, it’s a good day.”
The charity event’s final score was 57-53, said Rich Bouchard, another organizer with Hashtag Charitable.
The need in the community is real, said Nicole Paquette of Noelle’s Gift, which supplies schoolkids with clothes, snacks and other items.
“The requests are explosive this year,” Paquette said. “A lot of struggling families in need and we are grateful for events like this.”
The charity gave local school boards $265,000 for school supplies in 2022, she said, up more than 60 per cent.
Attendance was free, Holder said, noting sides included the Sarnia Sting, Sarnia Legionnaires, Mooretown Flags, Petrolia Flyers, Junior Lady Sting, Lady Flags, rec and pickup league teams.
“We wanted it to be accessible,” she said of the game, noting about 4,000 tickets were dispersed via community agencies, to keep track of attendance on game day.
“The Inn (for instance) gave out a bunch of tickets to their clients and people they work with in the community,” Holder said. “So for a chance for them to come out and watch some hockey.”
Hopes are to get more youth teams involved next year, she said.
“We’ve had a lot of rec leagues, a lot of adult teams,” she said. “We’d like to see more of the minor hockey participate and get the kids involved in this too.”