BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — This week and into next, 2,300 hockey players are lacing up their skates and hitting the ice to help raise awareness for cancer research as part of the 11 Day Power Play.
“The 11 Day Power Play was an idea that we had back in 2016 after we lost my mother-in-law to an aggressive form of cancer,” Co-Founder and Executive Director of 11 Day Power Play Community Shift Amy Lesakowski said. “She did not have a clinical trial available to her, similar to what saved my life. Two totally different types of cancer being treated in a different way.”
Lewakowski, a breast cancer survivor, and her husband, Mike, started the 11 Day Power Play seven years ago attempting to have the world’s longest hockey game.
Now, years later, games are played around the clock in three-hour shifts at LECOM Harborcenter, all raising awareness and funds for those battling the hardships of cancer. The first puck dropped on Wednesday and many more will follow.