AUBURN —
- Submitted photo
On Friday, October 18, the City of Auburn and Norway Savings Bank Arena, together with the Twin City Thunder NCDC and Premier hockey teams, hosted Hockey Fights
Cancer Night with “Rock the Rink Pink.” Cancer patients, survivors and cancer charities were featured, while the Twin City Thunder teams hosted the opponents on a “pink” colored ice
surface. TCT co-owner Dan Hodge expressed that the “pink” colored ice “is something that no one else in the New England area is doing and will become part of our annual event.”
The evening served a tandem purpose: to educate and to raise money for two causes that hit close to home. Robin Wooster, who is battling breast cancer, is a local emergency medical
technician who dropped the ceremonial puck. Wooseter was joined at center ice by her two children, who were flown to Maine to surprise her. “To be invited to drop the honorary puck at
the game Friday night was simply an honor,” Wooster said. “But when I got to the game and was presented with a jersey from Camp Wekeela I felt like a rockstar! As I turned around and saw the
beautiful faces of my children standing before me, it was surreal and so unexpected.”
Local youth hockey coach Jesse Robitaille of the Maine Gladiators is also fighting cancer and was recognized throughout the weekend. Fundraising efforts on Saturday netted nearly $10,000
to support the Robitaille family. Twin City Thunder players wore commemorative pink jerseys which were auctioned off during the game. All proceeds from the auction went to the Wooster and Robitaille families, along with
$1 from each event ticket sold.
“On behalf of the Thunder organization, I would like to thank the entire staff at the NSBA, especially Rory Mushlin who went above and beyond to make our second annual ‘Pink in the
Rink’ event a huge success,” Hodge said. “The look on Robin’s face when she turned around to see her kids was one that I will never forget. For the night, hockey took a back seat to raising
money to fight cancer.”
“It was extremely rewarding to host this event,” Marc Gosselin said, Executive Director of Community Partnerships & Sports Tourism for the City of Auburn. “We were excited to showcase
our venue and our partnership with the Twin City Thunder. A night such as this unites the hockey community and hopefully inspires faith and courage for those who are living with, going
through and moving past cancer.”
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