‘Racker Rivals Red’ to face off for third year Aug. 6


 

A star-studded lineup that includes Hockey Hall of Famer Joe Nieuwendyk and Los Angeles Kings star Dustin Brown will take to the ice for the third annual “Racker Rivals Big Red” benefit hockey game, at Lynah Rink.

The contest, slated for Saturday, Aug. 6, at 5 p.m. is a benefit for the Ithaca-based Franziska Racker Centers, which help people with disabilities and their families.

Tickets are $10 in advance, $15 at the door (children 3 and younger admitted free), and can be purchased online at rackercenters.org, the Cornell athletic ticket office or at the Tompkins Trust Company.

In addition to Nieuwendyk and Brown, the game will feature former Chicago Blackhawk Kevyn Adams, winner of a Stanley Cup and Josh Pauls, who won gold medals for Team USA in the 2010 and 2014 Paralympic Winter Games.

Also playing for the third straight year: Cornell men’s hockey coach Mike Schafer ’86 and women’s coach Doug Derraugh ’91, both former Big Red men’s captains.

Other former Cornell players slated to take part include defenseman Joakim Ryan ’15 and center Cole Bardreau ’15, both of whom are playing professionally, and Lauriane Rougeau ’13, who won a gold medal with Team Canada in the 2014 Winter Olympics and is a defenseman with the Montreal Stars of the Canadian Women’s Hockey League.

The event will begin at 3 p.m. with a Family Skate and Community BBQ. Fans can make an additional donation by sponsoring their favorite celebrity players at rackercenters.org.

- Tom Fleischman