ESTERO, Fla. — The faceoff starts the hockey game on Saturday afternoon, raising money for the Lee County Sheriff's Office Fallen Deputy Memorial.
“How much fun is it to come out here. Get on the ice. A friendly game of hockey," Sheriff Carmine Marceno said.
This wasn't a regular game of hockey. The players included first responders and veterans that all came together to raise money for the memorial.
“Today, it is about fallen officers and never forgetting those who paid the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty," Sheriff Marceno said.
Each dollar from the game's entry fee will help bring a memorial to honor their lives.
“This is a good way to do it," Jim Holthaus, a fan of the Panther Warriors, said.
The competitive game of hockey will help bring the memorial at Lakes Regional Park to life.
“We want to give closure to their family," Sheriff Marceno said.
Families who lost loved ones in the line of duty and the memorial will give them a place to go.
“They can go through that process which is the grieving process, the remembrance process and all the above," Sheriff Marceno said.
Each family will be able to do that through proceeds raised at the hockey game that had stiff competition. The opposing team was stacked with veterans from Deerfield Beach, but the outcome wasn't in their favor.
"I didn't like the result, but I will get over it," Holthaus said.
The LCSO Rangers took home the win against the Panthers.
