From Athens News
By Allan Brown
There’s a common belief among both athletes and sports fans that their heroes never really leave an arena once their playing days are over.
In fact, legendary gridiron coach John Madden even took that thought one step further, saying that he believed the bronze busts of NFL Hall of Fame members actually have conversations with each other in the hallowed halls of Canton.
Taking that same mindset and applying it to the ice rink led two former Ohio University Bobcats to carry on a decade-plus tradition that was created to honor their mother and support her fight against cancer.
Called the Ice Ghosts game, it’s an annual fundraising event that brings alumni hockey players back to Bird Arena each year.
Actually, former OU forward Jared Fuhs maintains that these alumni aren’t actually returning to Bird, because they’ve never really left.
“The Ice Ghosts came from a thought of the alumni being the ghosts of Bird Arena who came before the current Ohio Hockey teams,” said Fuhs about the significance of the title of the annual game.
“The games started in 2012. In the spring of 2011, my mother (Becky) was diagnosed with Stage 4 colon cancer so my coach at the time, Dan Morris, decided to put together a game to help raise money for cancer research. He reached out to some alumni including my brother to help form an alumni team to play against the current OU Hockey team. This is when the Ice Ghosts were born,” Fuhs explained in an exclusive interview with The Athens News to preview this year’s contest.
Puck drop for this year’s Ice Ghosts game is set for 3 p.m. Saturday at Bird Arena. All proceeds from this charity face off will benefit the American Cancer Society. The Men’s D2 alumni contest will precede the D1 game at 1:30 p.m.
Current Bobcats Men’s D1 Head Coach Lionel Mauron went into further detail about the history of the game.
“The Ohio University D1 Hockey team has been teaming up with the American Cancer Society for the past 10 years and raising money through charity games for cancer research,” Mauron said, explaining that Becky, who passed away in June of 2012, had two sons play for former Bobcats squads.
“Jim Fuhs had already graduated, but Jared Fuhs was a senior at the that time,” he said.
Mauron said his entire current roster team will be participating in the event and “some of our most recognized alumni will play for the Ice Ghosts.”
The head coach said those on the alumni roster include Matt Rudin, Grant Hazel, Michael Harris, Tyler Pecka, Vinnie Nicolella, Diego Breckenridge, Joey Breslin, Drew Crandall, Adam Steranko, Gianni Evangelisti, Chris Perko, Jake Houston, Jimmy Thomas, Tom Pokorney, Jared Fuhs, Nickolas Rostek and JC Gulch.
Fuhs said that “normally, a former player will coach the team. Usually, it is someone who isn’t interested in playing, but wants to support the cause or is injured. This year the team will be coached by JC Gulch.”
While the games were cancelled in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, they resumed play last year.
“My brother, Jim, played in the games for the first few years, but hasn’t played lately. I have played in most of the games, but this will be my first time playing since 2018. Alumni are very interested in the game so older alumni usually phase out for newer alumni to have an opportunity to play,” Fuhs said.
Mauron’s squad, fresh off a semi-final appearance in the American Collegiate Hockey Association’s National Championships in Marlborough, MA, last month started to practice for the face off Tuesday.
Mauron stressed the importance of this fundraiser and why his team is honored to participate in the event.
“This is a great event for our program for many reasons. Firstly, we welcome a large group of alumni back to campus and it always is a special time. More importantly, we unite for a common goal: to raise funds for cancer research, which is a disease that impacts so many of us. It is incredible to see such an amazing initiative still being a main event for our program to this day. I think it speaks to the values of the people who have skated on Bird Arena’s ice and the way we take care of our own,” Mauron said.
Fuhs also stressed the importance of the game and why it’s been such a success over the years.
“The truth is that everyone is affected by cancer in some way whether it be a family member or a friend. This game has been a great way to raise money and awareness for cancer. The game has continued to be played through the years and I think that speaks a lot about the Ohio Hockey leadership and the entire program itself,” Fuhs said.
The former forward noted that “We have been able to raise over $55,000 since the games started. We currently have a goal of $3,000 for this year’s game.”
Tickets will not be sold at the door; however, there is a website where people who wish to attend – and also those can’t attend the game in person – can donate to the cause. Visit the Raise Your Way donor drive website and search for Ohio Hockey Fights Cancer.
As of Tuesday morning, only a little more than half of that $3,000 goal had been reached.
Fuhs is excited to return to Athens this weekend and looks forward to reuniting with many OU alumni while in town for the game.
“We both live in Pittsburgh. We don’t make it back to Athens as much as we would like. As we get older and have our own families, it gets harder to make the trip back.
“Athens and OU hockey has been a tremendous part of not only my life, but my family’s as well. My parents would go to almost every home game that we had so there was period of eight consecutive years where my family would take the trip to Athens. Athens became our second home and I feel very fortunate that I got be a part of the community,” Fuhs said.
(Originally published at https://www.athensnews.com/news/ghosts-of-ohio-hockeys-past-return-to-their-former-glory-this-weekend/article_4f0208f4-d2e0-11ed-950b-9f1623aafd9b.html)
