Maroons Tri-Campus Men’s hockey win 5-4 in PlayForMay charity match against Osgoode Hall Law
The Maroons seal a close victory in Coca Cola Coliseum
UTSC Maroons face off against Osgoode Hall Law School in PlayForMay charity match // Photo by: Arthur Dennyson Hamdani, THE UNDERGROUND
In November of 2023, the University of Toronto Scarborough (UTSC) faced off against York University in a hockey charity match at the Coca Cola Coliseum. This event was a collaboration between UTSC’s Athletic Department, the Scarborough Campus Student Union (SCSU), the Scarborough College Athletics Association (SCAA) and the Scarborough Campus Hockey Players Association (SCHPA).
With $10 tickets, students had access to a round-trip commute with a school bus to and from the Pan Am Centre. As part of the event, students stayed after the charity match to watch an American Hockey League (AHL) game between the Toronto Marlies and the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.
What Happened
UTSC sent their tri-campus men’s hockey team to play in the charity match’s two 20-minute periods at the home of the Toronto Marlies — AHL affiliates of the Toronto Maple Leafs. In the scoreboard hovering above the rink, the logos of two AHL teams, Toronto Marlies and Manitoba Moose, represented UTSC and Osgoode respectively.
Maroons in the offense in the first period, leading 3-2. // Photo by: Arthur Dennyson Hamdani, THE UNDERGROUND
UTSC led the game early and scored 3 goals in the first period while York scored 2. In the midst of the first period, a fight nearly broke out when a UTSC player allegedly tripped a York player in the middle of a play. The York player ripped the UTSC player’s face guard from his helmet. However, the on-ice officials quickly deescalated the situation.
Early in the second half, UTSC added two goals to obtain a 5-2 lead. Not long after, York responded with a goal to close the gap to a 5-3 game. In the last 5 minutes of the match, York executed a 6-on-5 strategy where they removed their goalie and placed six players on the offense. As a result, they scored a last-minute goal and capped the game with a final score of 5-4 for UTSC.
Both teams put on a show with 16 and 17 shots on goal for UTSC and Osgoode respectively. On top of UTSC supporters, family and friends of each team showed support from the stands, chanting the players’ names.
Both teams line up at the end of the game to shake hands. // Photo by: Arthur Dennyson Hamdani, THE UNDERGROUND
Friend and family greeting players as they come off the ice. // Photo by: Arthur Dennyson Hamdani, THE UNDERGROUND
PlayForMay
This wasn’t the first time UTSC and York met for a charity match. On March 26, 2023, the two teams played in Scarborough Village Arena with the same goal to raise funds. The main goal of these charity matches was to raise funds for PlayForMay Foundation—a charitable foundation that focuses on funding cancer research through sports initiatives and educational programs. The co-founder, Brandon Jang, is a UTSC alumni who is currently a Juris Doctor Candidate at York University’s Osgoode Hall Law School. Jang started his charitable endeavour in July 2019 in honour of his mother, May Jang, who passed away in her battle with advanced cervical cancer.
Since then, PlayForMay has hosted multiple ball hockey tournaments and other sport events to raise over $35,000 for the Canadian Cancer Society. The PlayForMay Charity Cup is a recent addition to the list.
What’s Next
Other than ice hockey charity matches, PlayForMay has collaborated with SCHPA and UTSC Athletics to host ball hockey tournaments in the Pan Am Centre. The most recent tournament happened in April 2023. With more collaborators, such as SCSU and SCAA, Jang and PlayForMay have plenty of opportunities to continue their charitable goal to raise awareness for cancer prevention.
