HONOLULU - It may have been cold inside the Ice Palace, here, but hockey players from the Navy, Marines, Air Force, Army and Coast Guard heated up the ice during an intense hockey contest benefiting wounded warriors, Aug. 29.
The charity hockey game was the brainchild of Navy Petty Officer 1st Class David Taylor, principal organizer of the event, who works at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam.
"Ice hockey has been a passion of mine since I was kid, and if I was ever going to do some kind of charity event, it had to be something I enjoyed doing," said Taylor, Blue Team captain. "Hockey and the Wounded Warrior Project just naturally went together."
The Wounded Warrior Project is a nonprofit organization that honors and empowers wounded warriors by raising awareness and enlisting the public's aid for the needs of severely injured service men and women. The project also helps these service members aid and assist each other.
"I believe the Wounded Warrior Project will impact lives of Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines and their families," Taylor said. "They have given so much to this country, and this is our way of thanking them."
Taylor, who has deployed to Iraq, is familiar with the sacrifices of military personnel, especially those in combat zones.
Volunteers came from the Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam First Class Petty Officers Association, USO Hawaii, the Honolulu Police Department and units throughout the island.
The USO paid for the ice time, the banners and the players' USA jerseys.
Between ticket sales, concession sales, commemorative T-shirt sales and the silent auction, the event raised more than $10,000, which will all go to the Wounded Warrior Project.
A silent auction featured collectible items, such as a Team USA jersey shirt autographed by the 2010 Silver Medal Hockey Team, a jersey signed by Anaheim Ducks player Ryan Getzlaf, a puck signed by San Jose Sharks player Patrick Marleau, a puck signed by St. Louis Blues player Jack Johnson and a hockey stick signed by the 2009-2010 Buffalo Sabres, as well as youth-sized All-Star jerseys.
The game pitted the Army/Air Force team, who wore white USA jerseys, against the Marines/ Coast Guard/ Navy team, who donned blue USA jerseys.
Army/Air Force broke the ice by scoring the first goal during the first period. Josh James, 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, scored the goal, with an assist coming from Tom Bell, White Team captian, U.S. Pacific Command.
Peter Matonis, 3rd Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd BCT, scored the second goal, with help from Bill Schwab, U.S. Army-Pacific, during the second period.
The Blue Team fought back and scored two back-to-back goals in the second period. Rafi Steinger, Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron Light 37, scored the first, with an assist from Craig Cercone of Headquarters Bn., Marine Corps Base Hawaii.
Matt Pothier, PACOM, scored the team's second goal, with the assist coming from Cercone, his second of the match.
With the score tied 2-2 going into the third and final 20-minute period, the White Team gained momentum and scored three back-to-back goals. Michael Knaeble, 535th Airlift Squadron, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, scored twice with assists coming from Rob Wooley, 15th Medical Operations Squadron, and Matonis.
Ed Cueno, 58th Military Police Company, 8th Military Police Brigade, 8th Theater Sustainment Command, scored the final goal with an assist from Wooley, his second of the match.
In a final attempt to make a comeback, Jeremy Gabbard, Pacific Fleet, scored the Blue Team's final goal, with an assist from Pothier, leaving the White Team the victor with a final score of 5-3.
"Even though the result isn't what we wanted, we are looking forward for a rematch next year," Taylor said. "The success of the event was just phenomenal, and everyone who came to show their support had a great time."
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