New York Woman Suits up for Vipers
March 20, 2006 - International Hockey League 2 (IHL 2)
Roanoke Valley Vipers News Release
ROANOKE, VA - Molly McMaster, 29, of Wilton, NY is making history during the month of March as she plays for every team in the United Hockey League, a men's minor league. On March 26th at 5:05 p.m., she will take the ice with the Roanoke Valley Vipers at the Roanoke Civic Center in Roanoke, VA.
McMaster, who has been playing amateur hockey for 11 years, will join a select number of women who have played men's professional hockey, and an even smaller number who have played out of the net. Her first professional game was February 26th for her hometown team, the Adirondack Frostbite.
McMaster's ice time in March will be the highlight of "The UHL Cross-Checks Colon Cancer," the UHL's 2006 campaign for National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. The Vipers and the entire UHL are supporting colorectal cancer awareness through an alliance with The Colon Club, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to educating about the disease in out-of-the-box ways. McMaster, President and Co-Founder of The Colon Club, was diagnosed with stage II colon cancer on February 19, 1999 - her 23rd birthday. She celebrated her 30th birthday and her seventh year cancer-free exactly one week before playing her first professional game.
This latest stunt is just one of many in which McMaster has participated since her diagnosis. She inline skated 2,000 miles across the country in 2000 for "Rolling to Recovery;" in 2002 created the nationally-known Colossal Colon®, a crawl-through model of the human colon; co-founded The Colon Club in 2003; and in 2005 unveiled the first ColondarSM, an annual calendar of young colorectal cancer survivors.
"Colorectal cancer is not just a 50-year-old white man's disease. It can happen to anyone at any time," said McMaster.
"We are really looking forward to being a part of this unique opportunity to raise awareness for colon cancer," said Tim Callahan, General Manager of the Vipers.
The alliance between the organizations is made possible by the generosity of Fleet Laboratories. Activities will include McMaster's game participation, announcements, and educational handouts at all games in March. The Vipers and all UHL players have been wearing patches on their home jerseys that depict a blue star, the universal symbol for colorectal cancer, and Fleet will provide fun and educational giveaways for fans at the game on March 26th. Fleet's mascot, EneManTM, will also make a special appearance at the game, and The Colon Club will give away limited edition Molly McMaster trading cards.
Tickets for the game are available by calling the Vipers office at (540) 345-PUCK (7825). For more information about the Roanoke Valley Vipers, visit www.valleyvipershockey.com. For more information about colorectal cancer, Molly McMaster, and The Colon Club, visit www.colonclub.com. For more information about Fleet Laboratories, visit www.cbfleet.com.
International Hockey League 2 Stories from March 20, 2006
- Playoff picture taking shape - IHL 2
- Vipers Week in Review - Roanoke Valley Vipers
- D'Alessandro wins Weekly Award - Richmond RiverDogs
- Mallards Play Three Games in Three Nights in Coming Week - Quad City Mallards
- Kalamazoo Wings Week in Review - Kalamazoo Wings
- Over 11,000 fans welcome IceHogs back to Rockford - Rockford IceHogs
- Danbury's Collymore and Richmond's D'Alessandro earn weekly honors - IHL 2
- Trashers forward Shawn Collymore named UHL Player of the Week - Danbury Trashers
- Mechanics perfect 2-0-0 in week - Motor City Mechanics
- New York Woman Suits up for Vipers - Roanoke Valley Vipers
- Adirondack Frostbite Weekly - Adirondack Frostbite
- Fury sweep week - Muskegon Lumberjacks
- Muskegon Fury notes - Muskegon Lumberjacks
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
