$30,890
Raised of $2,500
Crookston High School
Team Profile
Team participating in Minnesota Hockey Fights Cancer 2023-2024
Crookston Pirate Hockey Fights Cancer
As the head boys and girls hockey coaches for the Crookston High School Pirates, it is our honor and privilege to organize our annual Crookston Pirate Hockey Figths Cancer Games, which this year take place on January 11th with the Girls taking on the East Grand Forks Green Wave at 5 PM and the boys competing against the Warroad Warriors at 7 PM, with both games taking place at the Crookston Sports Center!
Last year in the inaugural Hockey Fights Cancer games, we as a community raised over $10,000 for the Northwest Minnesota Cancer Crusaders who provide grants to local famillies who are traveling for Cancer treatments. This was an amazing event and we as a program are so proud of the blessing that we were able to give to the NW MN Cancer Crusaders!
As we started to plan for this year’s Pirate Hockey Fights Cancer game, and looked at who or where we should donate the funds raised to, we as a group could think of only one name that had been on hearts for a while.
Dani Sylvester has ran our Mite 1-2 and Learn to Skate program for years now and under her leadership, that group has seen explosive growth in participants, and not only are they participating but they are staying with hockey because they are having so much fun.
Dani’s impact on the Crookston Pirate Boys and Girls hockey program has been second to none over the last decade and that includes us as the head coaches of the girls and boys high school teams. Her enthusiasm for hockey has been passed down to the next group of kids coming up and will play a major role in our success over the next 10 years.
On June 2nd, of this past year, Dani was diagnosed with Breast Cancer. She started chemotherapy immediately on June 7th and since then has gone through a variety of chemotherapy treatments, radiation, and surgeries. Due to the type of cancer she has, she has a long road of hormone therapy ahead, for the next ten years until she is deemed in remission.
While this cancer diagnosis, obviously is a shock and disheartening, it by no means got Dani down. As one of the toughest women we know, she was back organizing Mini Mite practice at the start of the season and as soon as she passed the 6 week mark post surgery she was back on the ice coaching and helping to develop the next group of Pirates!
As we said above, there is no one we can think who would be better a better recipient of this years funds raised during our Hockey Fights Cancer game. Dani has done so much for our hockey family, and now it’s OUR time to do something for her!
If you can find it in your heart to donate, please do! The beautiful thing about this fundraiser is that ALL funds will go to Dani and her family as they navigate the next years of treatment.
Thank you for your consideration and we will see you at the rink on Thursday Jan 11th!
Coach Josh Hardy and Coach Emily Meyer
Team Members 0
Contributions 283
Minnesota Hockey Fights Cancer
The mission of Minnesota Hockey Fights Cancer is to energize the hockey community in Minnesota to support the fight against cancer. Because cancer and hockey in Minnesota doesn’t stop, our fight won’t either.
If you would like to learn more or donate to our efforts to engage the Minnesota hockey community visit https://mnhockeyfightscancer.org/.