This past weekend, the Squamish RCMP managed to defeat the Squamish Fire Rescue Service on the ice for the second consecutive year. But the real winner was baby Lina Palethorpe.
The ninth annual Guns and Hoses charity hockey game helped raise more than $4,000 for the four-month-old child and a packed crowd at Brennan Park Arena on Friday (March 11) saw the RCMP pull out an 11-7 victory.
"It was fun and it's for such a great cause," said RCMP Cst. Logan Engel. "It's awesome playing in front of all the fans and it's nice to see the community come out and support us."
Engel admitted it felt nice for himself and his mates pick up the win.
"I know they were talking a lot of trash but as you can see, they didn't back it up," he said with a grin. "I think we came out this year and just demolished them. That's two years straight now for us."
The RCMP squad got off to an early start, building a 3-0 lead and coming out of the first period ahead 4-1. Following the first period of play, local Timbits players got a chance to show their stuff in front of the fans for a 10-minute mini-game.
Fans also had a chance to win 42 different prizes with a puck toss. Volunteers placed four pylons on the ice and the 10 pucks closest to each pylon received a prize.
The second period saw more of the same for the RCMP, as the Fire Rescue Services team got to within two goals twice but trailed 9-6 after two periods.
In addition to the puck toss, there was a 50/50 draw and fans could also buy raffle tickets to win draws for several prizes including autographed NHL jerseys and pictures.
The Fire Rescues Services team staged a late comeback in the third but the buzzer sounded with the RCMP holding an 11-7 advantage.
According to firefighter and event organizer Gerry Reed, the feedback he received from those in attendance was highly positive.
"Everyone I talked to loved it and had a good time," he said. "My son was one of the kids on the ice for the Timbits game and I know they were all just thrilled to be out there."
But Reed did say the Fire Rescue Services team is hoping to amp up its game for next year.
"Overall, the event went great except for the fact that we lost," he said. "The RCMP was definitely an improved team out there and had quite a few fast players."
Reed thanked the volunteers who helped the event run so smoothly, pointing out that it took a lot of people to put everything together. He said next year's Guns and Hoses event may feature the RCMP and Fire Rescue Services teams coming together to take on a team of Vancouver Canucks old-timers, but details still need to be ironed out.
He said the event took in more $4,000 for baby Lina, but the grand total will likely be higher as all the money had not yet been collected.
Combined with the fundraising event at The Yoga Studio on March 5, close to $10,000 has been raised for baby Lina, who has been diagnosed with a rare form of infantile cancer.
