{"id":132582,"date":"2022-02-16T14:00:01","date_gmt":"2022-02-16T20:00:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uscho.com\/?p=132582"},"modified":"2022-02-15T21:38:36","modified_gmt":"2022-02-16T03:38:36","slug":"hockey-humanitarian-award-foundation-announces-five-finalists-for-2022-honors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uscho.com\/2022\/02\/16\/hockey-humanitarian-award-foundation-announces-five-finalists-for-2022-honors\/","title":{"rendered":"Hockey Humanitarian Award Foundation announces five finalists for 2022 honors"},"content":{"rendered":"
The Hockey Humanitarian Award Foundation announced Wednesday the five finalists for the 2022 Hockey Humanitarian Award, presented annually to college hockey\u2019s \u201cfinest citizen\u201d for leadership in community service.<\/p>\n The duo that dubbed itself the \u201cMen in Blades\u201d is a repeat finalist for the Hockey Humanitarian Award after continuing in their efforts to raise money for the American Cancer Society (ACS).<\/p>\n The \u201cMen in Blades\u201d began their fundraising efforts in the summer of 2020 when they rollerbladed 875 miles from Boston to Mason, Mich., to raise money for the ACS. The duo\u2019s grueling 10-day journey during a heat wave raised awareness of the need for continued donations for cancer research and brought in over $31,000 for the ACS.\u202f\u202fWhile they decided they didn\u2019t want to rollerblade 875 miles again, that hasn’t stopped the “Men in Blades” from continuing to find new ways to raise money and awareness for the ACS.<\/p>\n Last summer, they organized a “Back-to-School Blade-A-Thon” for late August. The goal was to host a more inclusive 10K event where members of the UMass Boston and hockey community could all participate, while also continuing to raise money for cancer research. Despite the event being cancelled at the last moment due to a rise in COVID-19 cases, the duo raised over $4,000 for the ACS.<\/p>\n They teamed up to plan and organize the first-ever UMass Boston men’s hockey “Hockey Fights Cancer” game in December. As part of the contest, the Beacons held a Toy Drive for kids with cancer and carried out a raffle and sold items for ACS. They also designed custom pink jerseys for the game.<\/p>\n In total, the “Men in Blades” raised over $5,000 for the ACS in 2021.<\/p>\n Hughes, who has spent most of the season leading the NCAA in points per game and as one of its top scorers, is heavily involved in Sophie’s Squad, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the mental health of athletes from the youth level to college by raising awareness of mental health issues and removing the stigma associated with getting help.<\/p>\n She was one of the founders of the organization and is committed as a board\/committee member who attends regular meetings, runs all the social media accounts, and works to promote the organization. Hughes, who recently helped coordinate the Sophie’s Squad and Hockey Hits Back game for the Bulldogs on Jan. 15 that raised $8,000 to provide resources to mental health organizations around Minnesota, is involved in the organization in many ways. Hughes does everything from help pack bags for game participants to lending her presence at games behind the tables, driving all over Minnesota to support the organization.<\/p>\n All in on the importance of mental health, the assistant captain also joined the leadership board of the Green Bandana Project this fall. The Green Bandana Project is a student athlete-led mental health awareness campaign at UMD that was started by the athletic department’s SAAC (Student Athlete Advisory Committee) in the fall of 2019.<\/p>\n Keeley, a four-year member of the women\u2019s hockey team, has been extremely active in the community.<\/p>\n Her most recent volunteering activities included being the\u202fleader of the Saint Mary\u2019s campus Green Bandana Project, which included organizing the Run2ForSMU Green Bandana fundraising event and hosting the We Are Not Really Broken Summit to develop next\u202fsteps in Green Bandana curriculum about mental health meeting leadership.\u202fKeeley also ran and walked 250 miles in 100 days in the summer of 2021 to help raise funds for the Taylor Richmond Benefit Dance (raised $1,100 for this year\u2019s recipient).<\/p>\n She served as volunteer coach for the Winona Youth Hockey Association summer program and for Winona\u2019s \u201cTry Hockey for Free\u201d event. Keeley logged over 70 hours serving as a dog walker at the Winona Humane Society and was a member of the fundraising and foster board for Alma Tails of Hope.<\/p>\n She also fostered bottle-baby kittens for Tails of Hope when COVID sent students home to quarantine in 2020. Keeley also volunteered at the hospital information desk at Winona Health.<\/p>\n Kosack raised $45,000 for C.O.C.O.A. House in the second annual Kozi\u2019s Kids fundraiser, bringing his two-year total to over $50,000. Money from the fundraiser went towards buying Christmas presents for local children, the development of a Kozi\u2019s Kids Lounge in C.O.C.O.A. House\u2019s second location, and funding other projects for the non-profit.<\/p>\n In December, Kosack helped purchase $10,000 worth of toys for Capital Region children and assisted in giving out the gifts over two days during the holidays. An event, which started as a way to get local youth to attend Union hockey games, Kosack\u2019s involvement with C.O.C.O.A. House now includes spending one afternoon a week at the facility, helping with homework and playing games.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n
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Jacob Adkins and Andrew Walker, junior forwards, UMass Boston<\/h4>\n
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Gabbie Hughes, senior forward, Minnesota Duluth<\/h4>\n
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Jordan Keeley, senior goaltender, Saint Mary\u2019s<\/h4>\n
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Josh Kosack, senior forward, Union<\/h4>\n