It was a weekend of skating, scoring and head shaving at Glacier Ice Arena in Vernon Hills, Ill., as the Ice Dogs Hockey Association hosted a two-day “Puck Cancer” fundraiser benefiting St. Baldrick’s Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to advancing life-saving pediatric cancer research. The inaugural event took place January 9-10, drawing over 800 attendees and raising over $20,000, double the goal set by the Ice Dogs Hockey Association.
During the event, Michael Goldfine, an Ice Dogs coach and former player, as well as a cancer survivor of Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL), delivered remarks to attendees. "The ‘Puck Cancer’ event is an amazing opportunity for the Ice Dogs community to show their support and give back to kids in need,” said Goldfine. “As a pediatric cancer survivor, it is an honor to do something for kids going through an experience similar to mine with the hockey organization that gave me so much support following my diagnosis. With events like this, St. Baldrick's and other pediatric cancer organizations can continue their amazing work of funding new research, supporting patients and caregivers, and providing hope for the future."
The fundraising event featured 15 Ice Dog youth hockey teams playing exhibition matches, a coaches’ game, a raffle and head-shaving stations for parents, players, coaches and attendees in the building’s lobby by Sports Clips of Long Grove and Beata Boches, an independent stylist and mother of an Ice Dog player.
One special attendee at Puck Cancer was 8-year-old Lilley Sloniker, a Vernon Hills resident, who was diagnosed with leukemia in April 2024 at just six years old and is currently undergoing treatment. Expected to make a complete recovery by this summer, Sloniker attended the fundraiser to drop the puck for the coaches’ game on Friday and, as part of the event, she received an 11-week “Learn to Skate” session and her first pair of figure skates.
In March of last year, members of the Vernon Hills Police Department and their families shaved their heads as Team Lilley for St. Baldrick’s Foundation.
Based at Glacier Ice Arena in Vernon Hills, Ice Dogs is a Tier II youth travel hockey program in the Northern Illinois Hockey League focused on player development with a strong community and family focus. Its network of teams includes Mite Jr. Dogs, Squirt, Pee-Wee, Bantam, Midget and others for ages 8 to 18.
Since the first St. Baldrick’s event in 2000, the five-year survival rate for childhood cancer has risen from 79% to 85%, but cancer is still the No. 1 cause of death in children in the U.S. Over the past two decades, St. Baldrick’s head-shaving events in Chicago have raised more than $61.6 million for childhood cancer research with the St. Baldrick Foundation itself having raised and funded over $369 million.
Glacier Ice Arena is operated by the Nicholas Family of Companies’ Spectate Group, which also manages the firm’s 17-acre Nicholas Sportsplex in Mount Prospect, Ill., and the new Rosemont Ice Arena in Rosemont, Ill.
About The Nicholas Family of Companies:The Nicholas Family of Companies is a second-generation, family-owned and -operated organization headquartered in Mount Prospect, Ill., with additional offices in Wisconsin and Florida. Both Nicholas & Associates and Spectate Group are part of a distinctly different and deliberately personal Family of Companies. To learn more, visit nicholasfoc.com.
About Spectate Group:Spectate Group is a turnkey sports and recreation firm that strives to enhance and elevate the experience of athletes, fans and advertisers. Spectate not only operates arenas and recreation centers but also designs and builds them by leveraging Nicholas & Associates’ construction capabilities. From high-end onsite food and beverage offerings to NHL-regulation- size ice sheets, the company’s sports venues are designed to please the most discerning palates and athletes of all abilities. Spectate’s facilities are concentrated in northwest Chicagoland and include Nicholas Sportsplex, Rosemont Ice Arena and Glacier Ice Arena. To learn more, visit spectategroup.com.
