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OPRF Hockey Club Honors First Responders at Paul Hruby Ice Arena

By ahaiadmin on January 13, 2015

By Roy Phifer, President – OPRF Hockey Club

Sunday, October 5, 2014 is a day no one in the tight knit hockey community in Oak Park will ever forget. OPRF Huskies varsity hockey player Grey Small collapsed before his game against Sandburg. Luckily, a group of first responders acted quickly to save a young life at the rink that day.

The OPRF Hockey Club honored the first responders who saved Grey’s life with a special ceremony at the Paul Hruby Ice Arena on Thursday, January 8. Huskies Hockey, Sandburg Hockey and Illinois West also raised over $4,000 for the Saving Tiny Hearts Society in honor of Emily Petersen, the nurse who performed CPR on Grey until paramedics arrived at the rink. Saving Tiny Hearts raises funds for research into the diagnosis and treatment of congenital heart defects.

OPRF and Sandburg played an Illinois West league game after the ceremony, a tilt that was rescheduled after the events on October 5th. Sandburg topped OPRF by a final of 6-2 but the event was another strong example of how the hockey community works together to make a difference in the lives of those in need.