Student-athletes from Gunn's Boys and Girls Varsity Ice Hockey teams have organized two games to raise funds and awareness for, respectively, mental health and those affected by cancer. Girls Varsity Ice Hockey hosted a Hockey Fights Cancer game vs. The Hill School on January 26 in Linen Rink to benefit the American Cancer Society. On February 7, Boys Varsity Ice Hockey will take on Taft School at 4:15 p.m. in Linen Rink in a game to benefit The HT40 Foundation’s Shoulder Check initiative.
A Simple Act of Kindness Goes a Long Way
This is the second consecutive year that Jake Pellicane ’25 has organized a hockey game at Gunn in support of Shoulder Check. The HT40 Foundation was established by Rob Thorsen, in honor of his son, Hayden, a Darien High School student and hockey player who died by suicide in May 2022. The nonprofit foundation, which seeks to honor his legacy and love of hockey, takes its name from Hayden Thorsen’s initials and jersey number. Its Shoulder Check initiative has been embraced by the National Hockey League as well as high school college athletes like Pellicane, who support the organization’s mission is “to turn kindness into a contact sport. To show people that ‘being there’ is as simple as reaching out, checking in, and making contact. Being the hand on a shoulder that lets someone know – ‘I’m here with you.’”
“It’s a very important message and it’s something that is close to home for me,” said Pellicane, who was Thorsen’s friend and hockey teammate. They played in spring tournaments together from the age of 9 and were on the same travel team in the last few years of Thorsen’s life. “We became super close during those years. I would stay at his house, drive to games with him. After he passed away, it was important for me to be involved and carry on his memory and spread the message that this is something that needs to be talked about.”
As part of his Civic Changemakers Project (CCP) this year, Pellicane worked with Craig Badger, Head Coach for Boys Varsity Ice Hockey, Assistant Coach Shane Gorman ’10, and Assistant Director of Athletics Crissa White P’28 to turn the February 7 game against Taft into a fundraiser for The HT40 Foundation and raise awareness about Shoulder Check.
A diploma requirement, the CCP provides Gunn seniors with an opportunity for students to work independently on a project in their local community, and put into action what they have learned across the school’s four-year citizenship curriculum under the Center for Citizenship and Just Democracy. The CCP emphasizes civic action and acting on convictions. The project may involve a range of activities, including civic media-making, alliance building, participation strategy development (which could involve contacting political officials or interest groups), or a meaningful and intentional service project.
Asked why he chose to make the Shoulder Check fundraiser the focus of his CCP, Pellicane said, “I thought it would be important to put my energy towards something that matters to me and something that I would enjoy promoting and being involved in.”
During an announcement at School Meeting, Gunn students were asked to “Pack the Rink” for the game and contribute a $3 donation to The HT40 Foundation to participate in a dress down day. The Boys Varsity Ice Hockey team will wear custom jerseys featuring Shoulder Check’s signature black, white, and teal colors and fans are asked to wear those colors in the stands as well. Pellicane will have Shoulder Check apparel available for purchase at the game and the Shoulder Check logo will be featured on banners, posters, and decals in Linen Rink. He noted that one of his Gunn teammates, Brandon Shaffer ’25, also played hockey with Thorsen, as did a couple of students who play for Taft. They were supportive of his efforts to organize a game between the two schools to benefit Shoulder Check. “It meant something to them as well.”
“Mental health is an important issue, especially in young athletes,” Pellicane said. “Part of that is the pressure to perform and the stigma around it. People think you’ve got to be the tough guy and hold everything in, and you won’t be considered tough if you are talking about your emotions. The message of the Shoulder Check foundation is it’s OK not to be OK and to break the stigma of having to be the tough guy. The name of the initiative comes from the idea that a simple act of kindness goes a long way. The whole motto is to reach out, check in, put a hand on somebody’s shoulder.”
That message seems to be taking hold. Pellicane, who participates in the annual Shoulder Check Showcase each summer, has observed that people who have heard about the initiative are more likely to reach out and put a hand on the shoulder of a teammate. “Since the game last year I’ve seen more of it, just guys checking on each other. That was pretty cool to see,” he said. “It’s nice to see that the message is getting across. It’s making an impact.”
Supporting the Fight Against Cancer
Averi Zhong '24 organized a Hockey Fights Cancer game for Girls Varsity Ice Hockey last year, and this year, teammates Sofia Cuozzo '25 and Emily Krauss '25 decided to continue the tradition and improve on it by making it the focus of their Civic Changemakers Project. Cuozzo was inspired to spearhead the effort in part by a family member who is currently undergoing cancer treatment, and by beloved teacher and coach Jeff Trundy, who passed away on December 20, 2024, following his battle with cancer.
“I had him as a teacher my sophomore and junior year. He was an all-around happy person. I was always excited to come to his class. I learned a lot from him,” Cuozzo said.
Cancer can be a sensitive topic to discuss and part of the students' goal was to let their peers know it's OK to talk about hard situations. As Cuozzo said, “It can be more beneficial than not talking about it at all.”
“I want people to know more about things that people have to deal with and it's easy to support them in small ways like this,” said Krauss. “You just have to take action.”
The two student-athletes contacted Brian Casalinova, a Senior Development Manager for Youth Sports with the American Cancer Society, who supplied them with stickers to place on the boards in Linen Rink, hockey tape for their sticks, and “I Fight For” signs that students personalized and displayed at the game on January 26. Casalinova also provided them with information about the American Cancer Society and Hockey Fights Cancer, which they presented at School Meeting.
Like Pellicane, Cuozzo and Krauss worked with White to design custom pink and white hockey jerseys for their team. As part of their efforts to raise funds and awareness, they also organized a dress down day, inviting students to donate $3 each to the American Cancer Society and wear pink (for breast cancer awareness) or purple (the official color of Hockey Fights Cancer, representing the fight against all cancers) on January 23. The students partnered with the community service club, Gunn Gives Back, to make cards to send to pediatric cancer patients. Proceeds from snack shack sales and a bake sale on game day were designated for the American Cancer Society.
“This is important to us as we lost someone on campus due to cancer,” Cuozzo and Krauss said. “This game is more than just a charity game; It’s a game that brings people together for something bigger than all of us.”
“Hockey Fights Cancer is the American Cancer Society’s partnership with the NHL and the NHL Players Association. The program engages coaches, players, and the community in the fight against cancer. Since 1998, Hockey Fights Cancer has resulted in more than $29 million raised to help fight cancer,” according to the American Cancer Society. By participating in Hockey Fights Cancer Assist, teams support the organization's efforts “to fund lifesaving cancer breakthroughs, raise awareness to help people stay well, and help people touched by cancer get the help, support, and resources they need to get well.”