Hockey fundraiser pits locals vs. Devils alumni

BY REBECCA MORTON Staff Writer

COLTS NECK — Members of Colts Neck’s hometown ice hockey team the Steeds will come face to face with some of their favorite New Jersey Devils players during a benefit hockey game to raise money for the Colts Neck Volunteer Fire Company No. 2.

On March 29 the Steeds will take on the Devils alumni team at the Floyd Hall Arena on the campus of Montclair State University in Little Falls. Doors will open at 11 a.m. with the puck dropping at noon.

The donation admission to the game is $20 and tickets are available at the following Colts Neck locations: Colts Neck Buy Rite, Huddy’s, Perkins and Rosalia. Tickets are also available at the Floyd Hall Arena at Montclair State University and at the Wall arena in Wall Township.

For information about tickets contact Art Raskin at [email protected].

The fire company is hoping to raise money for building renovations being conducted at the Colts Neck Firehouse No. 2 on Conover Road. Kevin Ketelsen, a member of the department’s fire police, said the firehouse renovations are under way and will hopefully be completed sometime in April.

Raskin, one of the department’s fire-police, suggested the hockey game as a fundraiser for the fire company. Raskin said he was familiar with these types of charity games after organizing several starting in the 1980s for a Wall Street charity fund.

“It was a fun event and it raised a lot of money. Everybody had a good time, from the fans to the players,” Raskin said.

He said the local hockey players can learn a lot from the retired pros. Raskin said the alumni players are great with showing their opponents different moves while on the ice. The Devils alumni team is expected to include players from the Devils’ Stanley Cup championship years of 1995, 2000 and 2003.

In addition to watching the hockey game, spectators at the March 29 event will also have an opportunity to meet the players, take pictures with the New Jersey Devils mascot and cheer with New Jersey Devils cheerleaders and the Colts Neck cheerleaders. There will be face painting for children and Devils souvenirs.

There will also be raffle items and an auction with items on the block including a golf outing and lunch for four at Trump National Colts Neck, a Devils jersey signed by Martin Brodeur, tickets to Devils games, Tiffany crystal and a Colts Neck Polo season membership.

To form the Steeds, posters went up around Colts Neck advertising tryouts. Ketelsen said 27 people showed up to the tryouts but the team was only able to take 19 members to play. The criteria that was used to form the team was to first take volunteer firefighters, then Colts Neck residents and then players from around the county.

The Steeds roster includes John Adinolfi, Milltown; Tom Adinolfi, Manalapan; Michael Egnatowicz, Manalapan; Dylan Balsamo, Holmdel; James Casey, Hillsborough; Gregg Daly, Leonardo; Ryan Farrell, Colts Neck; Will Hanley, Belmar; Kevin Ketelsen Jr., Colts Neck; Chris McDonagh, Montclair; Phillip Maida, Colts Neck; Joe Miller, Colts Neck; Steve Olsen, Middletown; Michael O’Sullivan, Colts Neck; Ryan Post, Manasquan; Chuck Rothrock, Colts Neck; Anthony Sarra, Colts Neck; J.B. Sarra, Colts Neck; Kevin Sauter, Colts Neck; and Tony Valentino, Colts Neck.

“Hockey is a close knit family in Monmouth County. People know who plays and when the word got out, everyone wanted to play,” Ketelsen said.

The Steeds will be led by coach Michael O’Sullivan and will feature firefighters Kevin Sauter (also the township’s police chief) and Kevin Ketelsen Jr. as co-captains.

Ketelsen said Colts Neck resident Anthony Sarra helped provide the Steeds with their jerseys.

The Steeds will have players ranging in age from 16 to 46, Ketelsen reported. He said the adult players on the Steeds are thrilled about taking the ice with the professional players, but said he was not sure if the reality has hit the team’s younger players yet.

“When they get on the ice and there might be a Devils player they idolized five years ago,” then it will hit them, Ketelsen said.

Ketelsen said everyone expects the event to provide a lot of fun and great memories.