MITCHELL HORUCY
Assist. Sports Editor
It’s often we hear the phrase, “it’s more than a game.”
This is especially true when it comes to Fredonia’s annual Pink the Rink hockey game.
“It’s become a tradition for us,” said head coach Jeff Meredith when asked about the importance of the game. “It brings a lot of emotion to the area, people who buy a jersey brings their whole family to the rink.”
The team wears pink jerseys with the name of someone who has been affected by cancer.
A family member can purchase the jersey and choose who to put on it for $250, which is then donated to the American Cancer Society.
“Every jersey is a love story,” said Meredith.
Back in 2009, when the team first started wearing pink jerseys, they were featured on ESPN.
They were also the first collegiate hockey team to wear pink jerseys.
Senior forward Brendan Dempsey wore a jersey for his cousin who battled breast cancer.
Dempsey said his cousin, her husband and kids, his aunt and uncle and his parents from Michigan would be in the stands.
“[I] definitely will be playing for them, and everyone is playing for someone else,” he said.
Both Dempsey and Meredith spoke about how emotional the game would be.
Meredith talked about how it’s important to harness that emotion and just play hockey.
“Your first instinct is to go out there and run around like a lunatic,” said Meredith. “It takes a lot of mental focus.”
While trying to keep your emotions in check, Dempsey still thinks the team plays a little harder.
“When you see the names on the back of the jerseys, you think about what they had to go through,” Dempsey said.
Having been a part of Pink the Rink since its beginning in 2008, Coach Jeff Meredith has many stories involving the game.
One of his favorites that was brought up was the story of former Blue Devil, Taylor Bourne.
Bourne lost his mother to cancer during his freshman year at Fredonia. His father also passed away a year prior to the passing of his mother.
Therefore, when a players’ family is supposed to receive the jersey and take a picture during the postgame ceremony, Bourne didn’t have anyone.
When they got to number 29, Bourne’s jersey which read “mom” on the back, the entire team met him to receive the jersey and take the picture.
“That was an emotional time, it was incredible,” said Meredith.
After the conclusion of the game, coach Jeff Meredith announced they have hit $114,000 of donations.
“That’s a lot of money,” he said. “It’s a lot of stories, a lot of people wanting to honor loved ones.”
“It shows you how many people have been affected by cancer,” said Dempsey.
Dempsey also added that he could’ve had a lot of names on the back of his jersey. Last year, he played for his best friend’s mom who lost a battle with cancer.
The game itself was a great showing for the Blue Devils.
Junior Ryan Bailey, who leads the team in points, started the game off with a goal less than one minute in.
Fredonia added two more in the second period from senior Cam Birkeland and freshman Nolan Underwood.
Morrisville got their lone goal of the night midway through the second period to make it 3-1 Blue Devils heading into the second intermission.
Fredonia then shut down any chance of a comeback with two goals in the final frame, making the final score 5-1 in favor of the Blue Devils.
Seniors David Sudbrink and Kurri Woodford were the two to put the exclamation point on a great performance.
This was also a crucial game, as the Blue Devils are fighting for a spot in the SUNYAC playoffs.
They currently sit in sixth place in the SUNYAC, where the top six teams make the playoffs.
They’re tied with Buffalo State, and hold a one point lead over Brockport with a game in hand as well.
The team has four games remaining, all of which are important SUNYAC matchups.
They have two remaining home games, starting on Friday, Feb. 9 at 7 p.m. against Geneseo. They then host Brockport on Saturday, Feb. 10 at 7 p.m in a crucial game in the SUNYAC playoff race.