Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN/WGR 550) - The 11 Day Power Play looks very different from when it started in 2017, but the cause remains the same: To put cancer on ice.
In 2017, 40 players played non-stop hockey for 11 days, setting a world record
for longest continuous ice hockey game, and raising $1 million for cancer beneficiaries.
This year, 2,500 players are registered for the 11 Day Community Shift
from Thursday, June 20 to Sunday, June 30 at LECOM Harborcenter.
"We surpassed $10 million last year and we're not stopping." said co-founder Amy Lesakowski on WBEN Tuesday.
She and her husband Mike Lesakowski came up with the unique fundraising event after Amy went through an aggressive form of breast cancer.
"Opening night on June 20 is a celebration. It's from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., and we have celebrity guests, Sabretooth will be there. The first game is between our 60 top fundraisers. We really want to pack the rink for them. They work really hard and started fundraising in October," she added.
Beneficiaries from the 11 Day Power Play include Roswell Park, Make-A-Wish WNY, Camp Good Days, and Oishei Children's Hospital's Cancer and Blood Disorders Program.
New this year is the Petey Fund, an $11,000 reward to a smaller non-profit organization that shares a similar cancer-fighting mission.
"There are so many deserving non-profits in our community. We established the Petey Fund to be able to give a one time annual gift to a deserving non profit. It will be $11,000. The winner of that grant will be announced during opening ceremonies," Lesakowski explained.
"Skaters are mostly from Western New York. But we have a bunch of teams from Rochester and a couple of teams from Maryland, the Carolinas, California and we have a guy who comes from Tokoyo, Japan," noted Mike Lesakowski.
With six weeks to go, the 11 Day Power Play is still looking for volunteers.
Also taking part in this year's festivities for the 11 Day Power Play from WGR includes Joe DiBiase, Josh Schmit, Brayton Wilson, T.J. Luckman and Derek Kramer, as they will take on the Western New York Media All-Stars.