On Friday, October 18, the City of Auburn and Norway Savings Bank Arena, together with the Twin City Thunder NCDC and Premier hockey teams, hosted Hockey Fights Cancer Night with “Rock the Rink Pink.” Cancer patients, survivors and cancer charities were featured, while the Twin City Thunder (TCT) teams hosted the opponents on a “pink” colored ice surface. TCT co-owner Dan Hodge expressed that the “pink” colored ice “is something that no one else in the New England area is doing and will become part of our annual event.”

The evening served a tandem purpose: to educate and to raise money for two causes that hit close to home. Robin Wooster, who is battling breast cancer, is a local Emergency Medical Technician who dropped the ceremonial puck. Wooster was joined at center ice by her two children, who were flown to Maine to surprise her. “To be invited to drop the honorary puck at the game Friday night was simply an honor,” said Wooster. “But when I got to the game and was presented with a jersey from Camp Wekeela I felt like a rockstar! As I turned around and saw the beautiful faces of my children standing before me, it was surreal and so unexpected”.

Local youth hockey coach Jesse Robitaille of the Maine Gladiators is also fighting cancer and was recognized throughout the weekend. Fundraising efforts on Saturday netted nearly $10,000 to support the Robitaille family. 

Twin City Thunder players wore commemorative pink jerseys which were auctioned off during the game. All proceeds from the auction went to the Wooster and Robitaille families, along with $1 from each event ticket sold.

“On behalf of the Thunder organization, I would like to thank the entire staff at the NSBA, especially Rory Mushlin, who went above and beyond to make our second annual ‘Pink in the Rink’ event a huge success,” said Hodge. “The look on Robin’s face when she turned around to see her kids was one that I will never forget. For the night, hockey took a back seat to raising money to fight cancer.”

“It was extremely rewarding to host this event,” said Marc Gosselin, Executive Director of Community Partnerships & Sports Tourism for the City of Auburn. “We were excited to showcase our venue and our partnership with the Twin City Thunder. A night such as this unites the hockey community and hopefully inspires faith and courage for those who are living with, going through and moving past cancer.”

The next Twin City Thunder home game is November 22, as they face-off against the Utica Jr. Comets. Game time is at 7 p.m. at the Norway Savings Bank Arena. Doors open at 6 p.m. Tickets are available online at www.ticketreturn.com or by visiting the Norway Savings Bank Arena box office. 

The Twin City Thunder is a hockey organization that plays out of the United State Premier Hockey League (USPHL). Founded in 2012, the USPHL is comprised of 170 teams which are geographically diverse, ranging from the North to South to the Midwest. The Twin City Thunder has two teams, one that operates in the USPHL Premier Division and another in the USPHL’s National Collegiate Development Conference (NCDC). The Twin City Thunder NCDC and Premier team are based at the beautiful Norway Savings Bank Arena in Auburn, Maine. 

Norway Savings Bank Arena (NSBA) is owned by the City of Auburn and is operated by the Department of Recreation and Sports Tourism. Built in 2013, NSBA is Maine’s first and only dual surface ice arena. NSBA is open year-round for hockey and is home to youth, high school, junior and college hockey programs. It also serves as an entertainment venue, hosting concerts, trade shows, expos and more. For more information, visit www.norwaysavingsbankarena.com