It’s summertime: lean days for hockey fans. But I’ve got some good news though: here’s an opportunity to play (or watch) hockey– and do it for a good cause.

On August 3-5, the Gardens Ice House in Laurel, MD is hosting the Leap Towards a Cure Presented by Outback Steakhouse, Laurel, MD, hockey tournament. 26 teams will compete in the tourney to raise money for the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins.

Leap Towards a Cure is looking for players for the tournament right now, so if your rec league is winding down, please get the word out. There are a bunch of divisions for different talent levels, so please don’t worry about your skills.  They particularly need free agent skaters for the women’s division.

Plus, you might see some hockey guys you might know.

Here are the details:

• 3 guaranteed games, plus a possible championship game, for each team
• Tournament t-shirt for each player
• Tournament skate towel for each player
• Skills Competition (hardest shot, fastest skater, accuracy shooting)
• Free Community Festival on Saturday, featuring games, a silent auction, and a raffle
• Free food on Saturday provided by Outback Steakhouse, Laurel, MD
• A Saturday afternoon happy hour and Saturday evening after-party at Frisco Tap House & Brewery, open to the public, where players will receive special drink privileges and other good stuff.

You can visit the Leap Towards a Cure site for more information.

You must have a current registration with USA Hockey and be 18 or older to play. If you’re interested, send a message to the tournament directors with your name and preferred level (Low Silver, High Bronze, Low Bronze, or Women’s), and he’ll take it from there. Per-player costs will depend on how many skaters are on each team, but based on last year it should be in the $80-$100 range.

Even if you can’t participate yourself, please spread the word. If you’re around your local rink this weekend, make some noise. There are a lot of other ways to help the good cause. Volunteers to help out at the site will be showered with gratitude. Plus, a few very cool players you might know will play some alumni from Eleanor Roosevelt High School on Saturday, so that’ll be a treat for everyone.

Thanks to Abram Fox of District Sports Page for alerting us to this.