Guns & Hoses coming
Firefighters and RCMP are teaming up in the name of hockey glory and cancer cures
Firefighter Darren Auline (left) faced off against Const. Brett Henderson, while Cops for Cancer rider Const. Karen Cryer dropped the puck. Henderson and Auline will be on opposite sides in Guns & Hoses on April 6.
Photograph by: Matthew Claxton , Langley Advance
Langley's Mounties and firefighters will face off this spring - literally.
The emergency responders are taking part in a Guns & Hoses hockey game to benefit the Cops for Cancer Tour de Valley.
Cops for Cancer raises money for the Canadian Cancer Society, sending a group of officers on a nine-day bike ride from Delta up to the Fraser Canyon.
Now the Langley Township firefighters are stepping in to lend a hand, by firing pucks at the Mounties.
Similar Guns & Hoses games have been held across North America to support various charities, said the event's organizer, Const. Karen Cryer of the Langley RCMP.
Cryer has ridden with the Cops for Cancer Tour de Valley several times, and was team captain last year. She's back as one of two team trainers this year, and will be whipping new and returning riders into shape over the spring and summer.
To raise money for the charity, she decided to see if the firefighters were up for a little competition.
She reached out to her friend, firefighter Brad Wegesser, who works out of the Murrayville fire hall.
"They were more than willing to come out and play a friendly game," Cryer said.
Wegesser, a full-timer since 2009, has been a hockey fan and supporter all his life, but he's only actually been playing for about three years.
He said that, when he started asking other firefighters if they wanted to take part, the response was "overwhelming."
"I think most people have known someone who has been affected by cancer in some way or form," Wegesser said. "Personally, my family has experienced a loss due to cancer, and my grandfather-in-law is currently battling the awful disease."
The two teams will square off on April 6, at the Langley Events Centre at 7888 200th Street. Admission is by donation, and all proceeds will go to the Canadian Cancer Society for aiding children with cancer. Cops for Cancer funds research, as well as support projects like Camp Goodtimes, the only summer camp in B.C. that exists for current and former cancer patients.
There will be a 50/50 draw, a skills competition during the intermission, and possibly a visit from Safety Bear, the local RCMP safety mascot.
The doors open at 6 p.m. and the puck drops at 6:30 p.m.
