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Thunder Hockey fights cancer with Pink Out game

02/08/2022, 8:15am CST
By Josh Lacy

MARINETTE – Sometimes it’s more than a game. On Sunday, the M&M Thunder high school team hosted a Pink Out game against Manistique at the Community REC Center.

 

MARINETTE – Sometimes it’s more than a game. On Sunday, the M&M Thunder high school team hosted a Pink Out game against Manistique at the Community REC Center. The Associations came together to raise over $2,500 for Kody Klimek a 2021 Peshtigo High School graduate who is currently fighting Ewing Sarcoma.

“I’m really proud of this group of kids,” coach John Danielak said following the game, “not just for the hockey, they did play exceptionally well, but just to see how much more there is to life. We did this for Kody, and this one meant a lot. There were a lot of people here, so hopefully we raised something to help his family out. That’s really why we were here this weekend. It wasn’t really about the games as much as it was to try to help the Klimek family.”

The Thunder wore pink jerseys, took donations, and had several raffles benefiting the Klimek family in addition to a Teddy Bear Toss that collected 253 stuffed animals to donate to Aurora Medical Center in Marinette for pediatric patients.

“We have some great moms that do a lot of great work behind the scenes, getting donations and pulling this all together,” Danielak said. “We are fortunate to have a lot of really good families. I hope to see this association keep growing and be something that everyone in the community is proud of.”

Kody Klimek is currently undergoing treatment for Ewing Sarcoma, a cancer of the soft tissue. After suffering an injury that was initially believed to be a torn ACL in December, a tumor was found below his right knee. Ewing Sarcoma is an aggressive cancer that grows in the tissue around the bones and can spread to the lungs, bones and bone marrow.

The Manistique Hockey Association jumped right into the spirit of the day as well. The two teams played in Manistique the previous weekend with the Thunder winning 10-3 and 11-0. When the Elks learned of the Pink Out game, they offered to wear their own pink jerseys and raised their own collection to donate to Kody.

“I really appreciated the Manistique team,” Danielak said. “We played them last week, and they came down and played us hard again. They have a small group, but the two teams really came together, and it was so much fun to watch. For that association to chip in to try to help a kid they don’t know is pretty awesome.”

The Thunder won the game by a final score of 10-2 to the delight of the REC Center crowd. Randy Von Haden led the attack with four goals and an assist, while Broden Krause recorded four assists on the day.

Adam Lemery scored twice, and Jermene Zuehlke, Mason Denny, Evan Casey and Theron Thayer found the net as well. Simon Bowers, Mason Boivin and Kennison Boivin each had a pair of assists, while Zuehlke, Denny and Grant Burg also contributed helpers.

The Pink Out game was the second game of a doubleheader. The Thunder also won the morning contest by a final score of 7-0 behind two goals from Lemery as well as goals from Joey Danielak, Von Haden, Bowers, Thayer and Burg.

The Thunder are off this weekend and will return to action on Sunday, February 20, when they travel to Marquette to take on the Marquette U18 JV team.

BANTAM

The Thunder Bantam team split a pair of games against Manitowoc at the REC Center on Sunday, winning game one 6-3 and dropping game two 7-2.

In game one, Blue Haley put four goals on the board to outscore the Breakers on his own. Damien Winterbottom and Courtney Campbell scored as well. Logan Sakovitz had a pair of assists, and Natalie Sparpanic added an assist as well.

Haley scored both Thunder goals in game two, but the Thunder were heavily outshot in both games.

Ethan King made 42 saves to preserve the win in game one and came up with 38 more in game two. In total he stopped 80% of the 90 shots he faced on the day.

The Thunder Bantams will travel to Oregon, Wis. to take part in the Bantam Bash this weekend.

PEEWEE

The Thunder Peewee team suffered a 5-1 loss in their WAHA State Playdown game at Manitowoc on Saturday.

Collin Campbell netted the lone Thunder goal in the game while Jack Aftanas made 12 saves.

The Thunder will travel to Manitowoc for a pair of games on Saturday. Game one is scheduled for a 3:30 p.m. start.

12U GIRLS

The Thunder 12U Girls team punched its ticket to the WAHA State Tournament with a 4-0 shutout of Green Bay at the REC Center on Saturday.

Jadyn Jashinsky scored a pair of goals while Kendal Truckey had a goal and two assists. Whitney Haile also had a goal and an assist in the game.

Jashinsky staked the team to a 1-0 lead late in the first period, and the Thunder later exploded with three goals in the third period.

The Thunder were outshot 21-13, but Grace Loomis stopped all 21 shots she faced to record the team’s second shutout of the season.

The team will travel to Altoona on Saturday for a pair of games against the ECA Stars.

SQUIRT B

The Thunder Squirt B team suffered a 3-1 loss in a WAHA State Playdown game at Manitowoc on Saturday.

The Breakers rode an early 2-0 lead to the victory.

Jaxen Teteak got the Thunder on the board in the second period with an assist from Parker Perket shortly after a Thunder goal was waved off, but the team could not solve Manitowoc goalie Colt Wemli who made 13 saves on the day.

The Thunder Squirts will host the Battle at the REC Tournament at the Community REC Center this weekend. The B team hosts Marquette Crossroads Friday evening with a scheduled 6:20 p.m. start time.

SQUIRT C

The Thunder Squirt C team fell by a final score of 5-3 in a WAHA State Playdown game against Manitowoc in Shawano on Friday.

Kelvin Winterbottom got the Thunder on the board when he beat the buzzer at the end of the first period to bring the score to 3-1.

The Breakers added a second-period goal before the Thunder outscored Manitowoc 2-1 in the third period with a pair of goals Sullivan Reek.

The Thunder Squirts will host the Battle at the REC Tournament at the Community REC Center this weekend. The C team will kick-off the action Friday evening when they take on Middleton at 5:10 p.m.

 

Tag(s): 10U Girls  10U Squirt A  12U Girls  12U PeeWee A  14U Bantam  18U High School  8U Cross Ice  Men  10U Squirt B