SKANEATELES – On Jan. 18 at 5 p.m. the hockey teams from SUNY Cortland and Oswego will face off in Skaneateles at the Allyn Arena in the Skaneateles Community Center in support of a well known organization, Griffin’s Guardians.
All proceeds from the game will go to support the organization dedicated to a boy who had a true love of hockey.
According to griffinsguardians.org, Griffin is a middle child, between his older sister Grace and his younger brother Everett.
“He had big brown eyes and a smile that melted your heart,” the website says. “He loved all sports, but his passion for hockey and soccer was evident to those who knew him. Griffin’s sense of humor was beyond his years, and it made you fall in love with him instantly. His zest for life was contagious and he coined our family phrase, ‘It’s a great day to be alive!’ He said this countless times in his short life, always with his hands in the air, looking up. His dance moves made you want to join him, his laughter made you want to laugh right there with him, his smile — hit you in your heart like nothing else. The bravery and courage he showed us throughout the last year — there aren’t even words to describe it… but it made you want to stand by him and fight with him. Griffin made not only his family and friends proud of the strength and bravery he showed over the last 14 months fighting the cancer but, the entire community that fell in love with him. We will never say Griffin lost his battle to cancer, but that he won… he won the hearts of so many. He taught us what true strength is, he taught us to never give up, he taught us to keep smiling, and most importantly he taught us love.”
The organization that was established in Griffin’s honor helps families facing the same challenges as Griffin’s family, assisting others with support and financial assistance.
“As the mom of a son fighting cancer, I have learned a lot. I learned that my little boy was stronger than most adults,” Griffin’s mother, Erin, wrote on the organization’s website. “I learned that his zest for life could not be taken by the cancer, and I learned that his never give up attitude was going to carry me through his 15 month battle. But I was also shocked to learn was how little funding is allocated to pediatric cancer research. We asked Griffin to fight the biggest battle of his life, knowing in the back of our mind there were not a lot of options when his GBM returned. We, as parents, were left with no other options to save our son. Parents need options, families need options — our children need options! That will never happen without more research.”
Friends, family and hockey players and coaches have all stepped up over the years to help support this mission and help raise funds.
Among these efforts is the Skaneateles game scheduled for Jan. 18.
Kristi Krieger along with Ann Colabufo, is working on organizing the game.
Krieger said her own son is a freshman on the Cortland team, while Colabufo’s son is a senior and captain on the Oswego side.
“Both Ann and I are local hockey moms in that my son played high school hockey in Skaneateles and Ann’s son played high school hockey in West Genesee, so it is fitting that we were asked by Christine Dallman, the events coordinator at Griffin’s Guardians to help organize the game,” Kreiger said.
According to Krieger, the charity hockey game was started by Coach Ed Gosek of SUNY Oswego and Griffin’s Guardians in 2019, when a charity game was played in Skaneateles between Oswego and Nazareth.
“That game was a success, so this past June Coach Gosek and SUNY Cortland Coach Joe Cardarelli got together and scheduled a game against each other in Skaneateles again, with all the game proceeds going directly to Griffin’s Guardians,” Krieger said. “The two coaches met with Griffin’s Guardians to get the ball rolling, and Ann and I began working on the game in July. In August Ann and I started sending out letters to community members and businesses, friends that love the game of hockey, seeking sponsorships and donations to offset the costs of the game. There has been such a great response to this game with many sponsors and donors helping us to help Griffin’s Guardians mission.”
Given their connection to hockey through their sons and as mothers, Krieger said both she and Colabufo were well aware of griffin’s Guardians and the mission of the organization.
“I believe Griffin’s Guardians reached out to me to help because I was a local Skaneateles hockey mom, and my son was going to be playing on the Cortland team this year,” Krieger said. “As soon, as I heard about the story of Griffin, and hearing about other more recent pediatric cancer patients, I agreed to help, and have become very passionate about this hockey game and the Griffin’s Guardians organization. Ann and I are hoping to make this hockey game be a fun and exciting event for all, and we are hoping to raise a lot of money for Griffin’s Guardians, because the more money we can raise at this game, the more money Griffin’s Guardians can then use to directly help children with cancer in CNY and their families.”
Tickets for the game are $5 per person with five tickets available for $20.
Presale tickets are available now through Jan. 13.
Tickets can be bought on the website, griffinsguardians.org or by Venmo @Kristi-Krieger2.
There will also be an opportunity for people to purchase 50/50 raffle tickets and other raffle items that organizers are working on securing.
Raffle tickets will also be able to be purchased at griffinsguardians.org.