OMAHA, Neb. - NHL players Dan Ellis, Scott Parse and Jason Williams headline a list of standouts who will team up on August 28 to help the Omaha Hockey Hall of Fame Foundation raise funds to fight Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy with a benefit hockey game at the Moylan Tranquility Ice Plex.
The 2 p.m. game is open to the public. Tickets are $10 in advance and go on sale at Tranquility, located at 122nd and West Maple Rd., beginning August 1. Game day tickets will be $15.
Ellis played for the Omaha Lancers and the Mavericks before embarking on his professional career. He finished last year in goal for the Anaheim Ducks. Parse, UNO's all-time leading scorer, played last season with the Los Angeles Kings. Williams has played for five NHL teams during his 11-year professional career and last year was with the Dallas Stars.
Those three will join former UNO players David Brisson, Jason Cupp, Colin Strom, Christian Graham, Kendall Sidoruk, Billy Pugliese, Derek Reynolds and Allan Carr. Others include Danny White and Rick Lacroix, both former college and professional players.
Roster spots may be purchased for $1,000 by anyone in the general public. A silent auction featuring memorabilia from college and professional teams also will be conducted.
The inspiration for the game was to help former University of Nebraska Omaha hockey player Rob Facca and his wife Nikki, whose son, Louie, was diagnosed with Duchenne disease, a form of muscular dystrophy that strikes one in 3,500 children. Facca, currently an assistant coach at Western Michigan University, requested that donations be made to Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy to support research into Duchenne disease.
“The hockey community is extremely close and supportive,” said Brisson, a member of the Omaha Hockey Hall of Fame Foundation board. Brisson, a former UNO player, originated the idea for the benefit game.
“Our entire board is excited about this project,” said Gary Anderson, the president of the Omaha Hockey Hall of Fame Foundation. “We think it's an excellent way for us to give back to the community and promote hockey as well as awareness of Duchenne disease.”
All donations are tax deductible.
UNO Associate Athletic Director Mike Kemp, who recruited Facca as coach of the Mavericks in 1997, is collecting the donations for the silent auction.
