11 Day Power Play

The list of events canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic is long and continuing to grow. Those involved in the 11 Day Power Play refused to allow that to happen to their event though changes have been made. The games won't be played on the ice at Harbor Center. In fact, there will be no ice for the 1300 participants who will begin playing hockey tonight at Buffalo RiverWorks.  Co-founder Amy Lesakowski says despite the alterations, donations are likely to surpass $1 million again this year. 

The 11-Day Power Play is now in day five inside Buffalo's HarborCenter. The third-annual marathon charity hockey game reached a fundraising milestone Monday. An estimated 2,500 local hockey players are taking turns in what organizers and original players say is no easy feat, keeping a continuing game in progress for 11 continuous days. To gain a better appreciation for the participants, this year I became one.

A non-stop, around-the-clock hockey game that began Friday continues Monday morning at HarborCenter. WBFO's Michael Mroziak has covered the 11 Day Power Play its first two years, beginning in 2017. This year, to cover the third-annual cancer-fundraising event from a different angle, Michael has been quietly preparing and will play in one of the shifts. Here is his story on getting ready for the event.

The third annual 11 Day Power Play, a marathon hockey game which raises money for cancer research, got underway inside HarborCenter in downtown Buffalo Friday morning. An estimated 2,500 players are taking part in the second edition of the program's Community Shifts.

The 11-Day Power Play, which made history in 2017 while raising more than $1 million for cancer research, is planning to return in 2018. But this time, members of the public will be encouraged to lace up their skates, pick up their sticks and take their turns in another 11-day hockey game.

Game over, record set, mission accomplished. The 11 Day Power Play wrapped up early Monday in HarborCenter, successfully achieving its lofty goals in a cause launched months ago to support cancer research.

Thursday night, the hockey puck will drop at HarborCenter as an ambitious attempt to set a new record gets underway. Two teams of volunteers will spend the next 11 days playing a continuous game of hockey. While participants in the 11 Day Power Play seek to become the longest-ever hockey game played, the larger goal is to raise one million dollars for cancer research.