More hockey, another great cause

A few weeks ago I posted about a benefit hockey game being hosted by the Webster Schroeder hockey team. Today, I’d like to follow that up with another great hockey benefit, this time hosted by the Webster Thomas.

It’s called the Robert J. Smith  Memorial Hockey Showcase, scheduled for this coming Saturday Jan. 11. It’s played in honor of Bob Smith, who was instrumental to bringing youth hockey to Webster.

This annual event features four hockey games, raffles, luminaries and more. The action takes place at the Webster Ice Arena on Publisher’s Parkway. It begins at 1 p.m. with Bockport vs. Fulton, followed by Webster Thomas JV vs. Penfield JV at 3 p.m., Penfield vs. Gates/Wayne/EI and Wheatland at 5 p.m. The evening ends with a primo match-up between Thomas and Schroeder at 7 p.m.

Cost is just $5 per person, and all proceeds will benefit the American Cancer Society. It is truly a showcase of local youth hockey talent.

The Thomas Titans also host an annual game to honor our heroes – active military, veterans and first responders. Now in its eighth year, this event will be held on January 31 at Webster Ice Arena, and has raised thousands for CDS Monarch Warrior Salute.

In a recent email,, Debra Vent said this about this event gets bigger and better every year:

Last year the team added a campaign known as Goals for Golisano where fans and families pledged money for each goal the team scored in Sectionals through States. Begun by goalie Cody Rougeux’s family as a way of giving back to the institution that saved Cody’s life, the team was able to raise over $4,000 for the hospital.

Debra also told me about another outstanding community service these young athletes also recently accomplished.

This year the team partnered with Carrie Green’s Happy Birthday Cha Cha Cha, whose motto is “Every child deserves a special day.” The program delivers birthday joy to children in need in the Rochester City School District grades K-2. Through the program each child receives a Cha Cha Cha bag for their birthday, with two small wrapped toys, grocery items, personal care items, and books. This year the program will deliver 1,000 bags to kids in need.

Titans players reached out to their friends, families and neighbors, to collect items for the program. The team were able to collect over 2,000 items for the program. This included over 215 boxes of mac and cheese, 195 pairs of socks, and 465 cereal bars.

On December 30 the team delivered the items to Carrie and helped sort and store them, as well as help pack birthday bags and wrap gifts. Even though the boys did not deliver the gifts to the kids personally, they clearly felt connected and dedicated to the program after working to collect the items and prepare them for delivery. The players were overheard exclaiming things like “I think my guy likes Pokemon” even though they’d never met the recipient.

Thank you to the Thomas Titans hockey team for all that you do for the community.

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