For the ninth year in a row, the University of Saskatchewan women’s hockey team will be hosting their annual Play For a Cure game that is devoted to raising money for cancer research. The event has close personal ties for many team members.

Women’s hockey players take their love of the game and put it towards a good cause.

The puck drops at 7 p.m. on Jan. 20 as the Huskies take on the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds at Rutherford Arena. However, this game will not be just about the love of the sport, but rather it will include support for loved ones that are battling or have lost their lives to cancer.

One way the team is supporting the cause is through fundraising opportunities throughout the game. The players get special jerseys for the occasion, coloured yellow to show support for all types of cancer, which they auction off to fundraise for cancer research.

Kennedy Harris, a fourth-year kinesiology student and forward for the team, said that the jerseys create an aura of excitement.

“Everyone is excited to get to the rink to see the jerseys because we usually don’t show them on either the night before or that day. We try and get as many people out as possible. I told the girls they need to bring at least five friends to this one,” Harris said.

A raffle and silent auction are also opportunities for patrons to show their support during the game and the jerseys like many aspects of the Play For a Cure game, have a deeper emotional connection.

Robin Ulrich, interim head coach of the team, explained that this year the initials of both Cody Smuk and Hailey Woytowich, a friend to several members of the team, will be featured on patches on their special jerseys.

Woytowich has been battling a rare type of cancer over the past year and will be present to drop the puck during the ceremonial faceoff and throughout the game, as the team plays in support of her and others affected by cancer.

In fact, the focus of this event has been on personal connections from it’s very onset.

“[It is the] ninth year that we’ve been doing this. It came out of a desire to do something. One of our players that was on the team at the time had lost her mom to breast cancer a few years before joining the team,” Harris said.

This event comes with a deeply personal connection for Harris, who has been affected by cancer throughout her life.

“It’s important to me because, just like probably any player on our team, I’ve had friends and family members that were affected by cancer. I played with a bit in my minor hockey, and was friends with Maddie Schwartz, a girl who played at Yale University and had leukemia and passed away a number of years ago,” Harris said.

For Harris this game also has a deep family connection as well, having experienced a family member’s battle with cancer.

“My grandmother had breast cancer at a fairly young age and she survived it, which I’m very thankful for because I was able to actually grow up and meet her. She actually had a relapse this year so for me, that’s a really important thing and it hits home very closely when it’s somebody that you love,” Harris said.

Harris’ grandmother survived the relapse, and it is these personal connections that drive the Play For a Cure event.

Ulrich stated that personal ties are also her reason for her involvement in the event.

“[I] came in my first year and found out they did this game and I was really excited about it. I lost my grandma [in] April 2014, so I wanted to take the reins of it and this game is kind of my baby now,” Ulrich said.

—

Jack Thompson / Staff Writer

Photo: Liam Delparte