A charity hockey game in memory of Lance Cpl. Daniel J. Harvey, a U.S. Marine who lost his life to post-traumatic stress disorder on June 21, will be held Aug. 2 with players from Johnston/North Providence hockey’s past and present taking part.
Members of the two communities have banded together in order to plan the event, raise money and honor Harvey, a Johnston High School class of 2010 graduate and former captain of the Johnston/North Providence co-op hockey team. The fundraising committee, consisting mostly of alumni, current players and members of the Johnston/NP Hockey Parent Association, has been actively selling tickets at the Brewed Awakenings on 1577 Atwood Ave. in Johnston. However, tickets can also be purchased at the door prior to the event at the Smithfield Municipal Ice Rink on 101 Pleasant View Ave. in Smithfield. T-shirts will be sold at the game for $15 and there will be several raffles featuring two VIP tickets to CES Mixed Martial Arts at Twin River Casino on Aug. 14 donated by Jimmy Birtchfield, a Cutco grill set donated by A.J. Rampone and a gift certificate to Anthony’s Jewelers donated by Anthony Manza, among other prizes.
The event itself has become much bigger than what most of the event coordinators had expected. According to former Johnston/ North Providence Coach and event coordinator Jason Marsland, “The overall fundraising and planning has been quite a whirlwind as this whole event has been turned around in a little over a month. Having said that, with the tremendous help of Dan’s friends, family and the JNP Parents Association, this entire process has been moving along almost seamlessly.”
According to coordinator Billy Scullion, “It’s been overwhelming. We’ve come a long way from what I thought it would be and here we are. We’ve already raised over $2,100 and it’s still going. We’re still not done. Current and former players have been very helpful in selling tickets as well as getting donations from local businesses. We’ve been going every Friday and it has just been accumulating. Most of the funds have been raised through selling space in our ad booklet and raffle donations.”
Scullion, a longtime friend of Daniel Harvey Jr., has been extremely active in fundraising. “I want to raise PTSD awareness. I want to keep Danny’s memory alive and well,” says Scullion.
“The response from the community has been overwhelming,” says Marsland. “Between donations, ticket sales and spreading the event by mostly word of mouth, the support for the event could not be stronger. I am humbled by the numerous hands that have reached out to all of us in such a difficult time. However, this is not by accident. This response truly shows the type of profound impact Dan had on so many lives. He was such a special person and one of his biggest traits was bringing people together. That sentiment has rung true throughout this process.”
When asked about the process of recruiting players for the benefit game, Marsland replied, “The players immediately started contacting myself and other members of the past coaching staff shortly after we were struck by the tragic news to see what the possibility of doing a memorial game in Dan’s honor was. I think this was in huge part to the amount of love we knew Dan had for the game of hockey and the enjoyment he experienced when spending hours in the rink. When you watch these young men, day in and day out – practices, games, long bus rides – you see how close they grow. They are more than teammates when all is said and done, they are family. No one made this more clear than Dan. He would constantly remind the players around him that we were family and nothing could come between them. I have never coached a player in my life that truly believed that more than he did. At the end of the day, celebrating Dan’s life by gathering in the ice rink, just seemed right to everyone.” After all, Harvey was, “The first captain of the Johnston/North Providence co-op team during his senior year at Johnston High School and he was the catalyst for bringing the two programs together in the summer of 2009.”
The details of the game itself, according Marsland, are as follows, “The game will begin at 2:30 p.m. and end at 4 p.m. and consist of three 15-minute periods. The players will take the ice shortly after 2 p.m. for warm-ups, the national anthem and a welcome message. The players will then be divided into two teams, one of which will be wearing Johnston Panthers jerseys and the other will be wearing North Providence Cougars jerseys.” Much like in the NHL All-Star Game, there will be minimal contact. “I am really looking forward to Aug. 2,” says Marsland, “The last time most of us in this community surrounding Dan were together, it was an unsettling time. Hopefully after this game, we can at least put a smile on a few faces. I know that’s what he would want.”
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