Sunday night, the Hershey Bears registered a 4-3 win over the Hartford Wolf Pack. As the team battled it out on the ice, the organization as a whole showed its support for those fighting breast cancer with its annual Pink the Rink Night at Giant Center.
In addition to raising money for the American Cancer Society, the team had a special ceremonial puck drop that included forward Riley Barber’s mother. Stacy Barber, a breast cancer survivor who has been cancer-free for six years, joined her son at the center dot to drop the puck.
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WATCH: Riley Barber's mother, a breast cancer survivor, drops the puck Sunday night during Pink the Rink night at Giant Center pic.twitter.com/sExi1inhvp
— Chocolate Hockey (@ChocHockey) October 29, 2017
Stacy, a skating coach, was diagnosed with Stage 1 breast cancer in 2011. She underwent a mastectomy, which successfully removed all traces of cancer and eliminated the need for further treatment.
The mother and son duo shared a touching hug before the puck drop. For the puck drop, the proud mom rocked a bright pink scarf and a pink pair of boots to show her support for the cause.
Riley Barber's mother Stacy, a breast cancer survivor, is at Giant Center tonight and dropped the ceremonial puck prior to the game. pic.twitter.com/Zo2CqxJ2l6
— Chocolate Hockey (@ChocHockey) October 29, 2017
After the game, Riley shared how meaningful the experience was for both himself and his mother.
“It was awesome,” Barber said, according to Chocolate Hockey. “Anytime you can recognize somebody like that and for a cause like cancer and breast cancer, and the families affected by it’s always a great thing. Especially to raise awareness, I think hockey’s done a great job up in the NHL with Hockey Fights Cancer, with Hershey this is a great event put on and I know it meant a lot to her and it meant a lot to me.”
Barber also wrapped his stick with pink tape to show his support for the close-to-home cause.
Riley Barber wasn’t the only Bear who had a loved one who had been affected by cancer on his mind tonight. During the game, Lucas Johansen scored his first professional goal on a power play to propel the Bears to a 3-1 lead over Hartford. According to Chocolate Hockey, the significance of scoring his first pro goal on a night celebrating breast cancer awareness was not lost on the young defenseman. One of the first things he thought of after his milestone was his own grandmother, who fought breast cancer.
“So my grandma, she battled breast cancer so I wrote ‘Lilly’, her name was Lilly, on the stick,” Johansen said. “That was one of the first thoughts I had [after the goal.] That one was for Lilly – my dad’s mom.”
The Bears’ Pink the Rink awareness night featured the sale of signed pink team merchandise. The players’ wives showed their support for the cause by helping out with the sale and auctioning of the themed Bears gear. Proceeds raised at the event will be donated to the American Cancer Society.
Giant Center also proudly boasted pink lighting throughout the building in its quest to raise awareness for breast cancer.
We’d like to thank @MixedUpDJs for helping us Pink The Rink in #HersheyPA tonight to raise 💰 for @AmericanCancer #HBH #PinkTheRinkHershey pic.twitter.com/uyZ4W5j4qP
— Hershey Bears (@TheHersheyBears) October 30, 2017
Headline photo: Chocolate Hockey
