Comm Ave Charity Classic Returns Tonight
Terrier hockey alums host exhibition game with BC counterparts
Hockey fans anxious for the start of ice hockey season are in luck. The second annual Comm Ave Charity Classic, pitting former BU Terrier greats against past stars from the Boston College Eagles, returns this evening to Walter Brown Arena. The game’s proceeds will once again benefit two extraordinary nonprofits, Compassionate Care ALS, which supports people with the fatal neuromuscular disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), more commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, and the Travis Roy Foundation, dedicated to enhancing the lives of those with spinal cord injuries. The foundation was established by Roy (COM’00, Hon.’16) after he crashed into the boards and was paralyzed during his first game as a Terrier in October 1996.
More than 3,500 hockey fans attended last summer’s inaugural Comm Ave Charity Classic game, which raised $55,000 for the two organizations. This year’s rosters feature a number of current and former National Hockey League and American Hockey League players.
Terrier fans can see recent graduates Danny O’Regan (COM’16), Matt Grzelcyk (COM’16), Matt O’Connor (Questrom’16), and Evan Rodrigues (Questrom’15) take the ice alongside Nick Bonino (CAS’11), who plays for the current Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins, and Colby Cohen (CAS’11)—both Cohen and Bonino were members of BU’s 2009 NCAA national championship team. This year’s contest will also have two legendary special guests behind the bench. Longtime BU coach (1973–2013) Jack Parker (Questrom’68, Hon.’97), for BU, and friend and rival, BC coach Jerry York, NCAA hockey’s winningest active coach, for BC, will lead the alumni teams tonight.
The Comm Ave Charity Classic is held in honor of Roy and former BC baseball team captain Pete Frates, who was diagnosed with ALS in 2012, and in memory of Dick Kelly, Coach Jim Cotter, Ron Perryman, and Richard Armstrong.
Bragging rights are on the line tonight to benefit a great cause.
The second annual Comm Ave Charity Classic is tonight, Friday, July 15, at 7 p.m. at Walter Brown Arena, 285 Babcock St., Boston. Tickets are $15 and are available here or at the Agganis Arena box office, 925 Commonwealth Ave., Boston. Proceeds benefit Compassionate Care ALS and the Travis Roy Foundation.
Connor Lenahan can be reached at lenahan@bu.edu.
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